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MAG  &  MARGARET 


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"The  very  first  sentence  interested  her." 

(See  page  43  ) 


MAG  &  MARGARET 

A    STORY    for     GIRLS   » 

¥¥¥¥¥¥ 

By    MRS.    G.    R.     ALDEN      V5<?0£/-¥ 

("PANSY  ") 

6 

£  /t/^x  -£**•  fe#*  ^WA 

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ILLUSTRATED    BY                   ii 

v            C.    CHASE    EMERSON 

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LOTHROP    PUBLISHING    COMPANY 
BOSTON                                                                    v 

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TRADE-MARK  REGISTERED 
•  JUNE  4,  1895.  • 


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COPYRIGHT, 
1901,  BY 

LOTHR  O  P 
PUBLISHING 
COMPANY. 

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RESERVED 


FZ 
1 

p 

TABLE     of    CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  "  Merry  Christmas  to  Mag "         .        .        .11 
II.  Ethel .27 

III.  "  A  girl  out  of  a  book  "         ...        .41 

IV.  "  I'll  do  my  very  best"         ....      55 
V.  "Raisins" 70 

VI.  "A  crumb  of  comfort"         ....  86 

VII.  A  sea  of  trouble    ......  102 

VIII.  Things  "  working  together"         .        .        .  119 

IX.  Discoveries    .        .        •  ,  ' .        .        .         .  135 

X.  Surprises         ,        .        ...        .        .  149 

XI.  New  ideas       .......  165 

XII.  Peas  and  picnics    .        .        .        .        .        .  182 

XIII.  White  dresses 199 

XIV.  Sunshine  and  clouds      .        ,        .        .  '  214 
XV.  "If  we  only  hadn't " 231 

XVI.  A  hard  lesson         ......     247 

XVII.  After  the  storm      .        .        .        .        .        .263 

XVIII.  "  What  made  you  change? "  .        .    279 

XIX.  A  new  home  .        .        .    '    .        .        .         .    294 

XX.  A  memorable  birthday 309 

XXI.  Mag's  wages  .        .        .       .;'"•.        ,        .    325 
XXII.  "That  little  Mag  Jessup"     ,.       .        .        .341 

XXIII.  "Excellent"  .         .        .        ...        .357 

XXIV.  "  The  exact  truth  " 372 

XXV.  "What  else  could  one  do?"  .        .        .        .389 


2135323 


LIST  of  ILLUSTRATIONS 


"The  very  first  sentence  interested  her." 

(See  page  43.      Frontispiece.  ) 

"Miss  Ordway  gave  this  to  me"  she  said. 

(Facing  page  132.) 

"Beside  the  cot  she  knelt." 

(Facing  page  2  JO.} 


Little    Mag    looked  down  on  the  heavy 
gold  loop" 

(Facing  page  4.04.) 


MAG  &f  MARGARET 


*  * 

*    *  # 

¥  ¥ 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 


"  MERRY    CHRISTMAS   TO    MAG 


T 


ELL  Mag  to  run  with  this  letter  to 
the  post-box,  right  away." 

"  Mag,  I  want  the  sitting-room 
dusted  and  put  in  order  immediately;  it  is 
nearly  time  for  Mr.  Vance  to  call." 

"  Mag,  just  take  a  stitch  in  this  glove  for  me 
in  about  a  second ;  that  is  all  the  time  I  have  to 
spare." 

"  I  want  Mag  to  come  and  clear  out  my 
closet-shelf  so  I  can  put  those  boxes  in  as  soon 
as  possible." 

"  Mrs.  Perkins,  can  Mag  run  to  the  corner 
for  some  lemons  right  away?  Norah  is  wait- 
ing for  them." 

zx 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

The  subject  of  all  these  calls  that  needed  in- 
stant attention  was  a  girl  of  thirteen,  Mag 
Jessup,  little  maid  of  all  work  in  the  boarding- 
house  of  Mrs.  Perkins.  There  was  a  time  in 
her  life,  when  she  was  called  Margaret.  I  think 
her  mother  used  that  name  when  she  first 
looked  at  her.  Once,  when  she  was  a  little  bit 
of  a  girl,  and  went  to  a  free  kindergarten  for  a 
few  weeks,  the  sweet-faced  teacher  called  her 
"  Maggie."  But  that  was  ever  so  long  ago ; 
centuries  ago  the  thirteen-year-old  girl  thought. 
For  years  and  years  she  had  been  called 
"  Mag."  So  long  indeed  that  she  had  almost 
forgotten  the  other  names.  Mag  Jessup  was 
an  orphan.  Her  mother  had  died  when  she  was 
a  wee  girl,  too  young  to  remember  her.  The 
father  had  been  killed  when  she  was  five  years 
old,  and  the  family  had  scattered.  Mag's  sis- 
ter Susan,  only  sixteen  months  younger  than 
herself,  had  been  adopted  by  a  family  whom 
Mag  did  not  know  even  by  name,  and  taken 
"  away  off."  Mag  herself  was  taken  charge  of 
by  an  aunt,  who  had  lived  only  two  or  three 

12 


«  MERRY  CHRISTMAS  TO  MAG  " 

years  after  that  time,  and  then  there  had 
come  a  new  aunt,  who  had  many  children  of 
her  own  to  look  after,  and  not  much  money  to 
do  it  with,  and  when  the  uncle  died,  what  more 
natural  than  that  Mag,  who  was  then  ten  years 
old,  should  have  to  earn  her  own  living?  It 
was  about  that  time  that  Mrs.  Perkins  was 
looking  for  a  little  girl  to  answer  her  door-bell, 
and  run  of  errands,  and  it  was  said  by  the  aunt 
— who  was  really  not  an  aunt  at  all — that  here 
was  just  the  place  for  Mag.  So  to  Mrs.  Per- 
kins she  went.  In  the  spring,  when  the  Per- 
kins family  went  to  the  country,  taking  their 
boarding-house  with  them — or  at  least  keeping 
boarders  there — Mag  went  along  to  pick  ber- 
ries, and  shell  peas,  and  do  a  hundred  other 
things  for  her  board  and  clothes.  When  she 
returned  to  the  city,  she  found  that  the  aunt, 
with  her  family,  had  moved  away.  It  came  to 
pass,  then,  that  the  only  home  Mag  Jessup  had, 
was  in  Mrs.  Perkins's  boarding-house.  As  for 
her  duties,  one  can  get  some  idea  of  them  by 
reading  over  again  the  paragraphs  with  which 

'3 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

this  story  began.  She  was  to  answer  the  door- 
bell, rub  the  silver,  wash  the  knives  and  forks, 
set  the  tables,  assist  in  waiting  on  one  of  them, 
keep  the  halls  in  order,  dust  and  arrange  the 
sitting-room,  help  the  chambermaid  with  the 
beds  and  rooms,  and  be  at  the  call  of  every 
boarder  in  the  house  to  run  of  errands,  sew  on 
buttons,  mend  rips,  and  do  anything  else  in  the 
world  that  might  be  wanted.  Can  not  you  im- 
agine that  Mag  lived  a  very  busy  and  useful 
life? 

As  for  what  she  knew,  she  could  read  and 
write.  She  could  not  quite  remember  how  she 
learned.  She  knew  a  little  of  the  multiplication 
table,  and  something  about  addition.  She  had 
learned  a  little  geography  during  the  one  winter 
in  which  she  went  to  the  public  school.  The 
second  winter,  when  she  was  nearly  ten,  there 
had  been  scarlet  fever  in,  or  about,  her  aunt's 
home  during  the  entire  season,  and  she  had  not 
been  allowed  to  go  to  school.  Since  she  had 
begun  to  earn  her  own  living,  of  course  school 
was  out  of  the  question.  There  had  been  some 


"MERRY  CHRISTMAS  TO  MAG" 

talk  of  sending  her  during  the  winter  months, 
and  sometimes  Mrs.  Perkins  looked  at  her  in  a 
troubled  sort  of  way  and  said :  "  Just  as  soon  as 
we  get  all  the  extras  done,  and  are  settled  down 
for  the  winter,  that  child  shall  go  to  school." 
But  never  yet  had  the  "  extras  "  been  all  done. 
Mag  herself  had  given  up  hope  that  they  ever 
would  be,  and  was  earning  her  board  and 
clothes  as  faithfully  as  she  knew  how.  Her 
clothes  were  not  many,  and  did  not  cost  a  great 
deal.  She  could  not  remember  ever  to  have 
had  any  garment  bought  new  for  her  in  all  her 
long  life.  Of  course,  it  had  been  out  of  the 
question  in  her  aunt's  family,  where  there  were 
many  children  to  think  about ;  and  at  Mrs.  Per- 
kins's there  was  Miss  Kate,  who  was  two  years 
older  than  herself,  and  a  good  deal  larger,  and 
who  grew  rapidly  and  attended  a  good  school ; 
of  course,  she  must  have  new  clothes,  and,  of 
course,  her  old  ones  would  make  over  for  Mag, 
or,  for  that  matter,  do  without  making  over. 
What  did  it  matter  if  they  were  a  little  too  long 
in  the  skirts  and  sleeves,  and  a  trifle  loose  about 

J5 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

the  waist  ?  She  would  soon  grow  to  them.  So 
Mag  was  always  trying  to  grow  to  clothes 
somewhat  too  large  for  her,  and  never  accom- 
plishing it.  For  the  rest,  she  was  a  brown 
haired,  brown-eyed  girl,  too  thin  to  look  pretty, 
and  with  "  eyes  too  large  for  her  face,"  so  the 
few  said  who  noticed  her  at  all. 

Do  not  imagine  that  Mag  Jessup  was  an 
object  of  pity.  Her  clothes  were  always  de- 
cently clean  and  whole;  Mrs.  Perkins  wanted 
no  "  shabby-looking  folks  "  about  her ;  they 
were  comfortable,  too,  so  far  as  warmth  was 
concerned.  She  had  also  wholesome  food  to 
eat,  and  enough  of  it;  Mrs.  Perkins  starved 
nobody.  To  be  sure,  she  locked  away  the  cake 
and  the  sweetmeats — at  least,  the  choice  ones 
— before  it  was  time  for  Mag  to  eat;  but  she 
did  that  for  the  other  servants  as  well  as  for 
Mag.  "  One  couldn't  expect  a  woman  who 
made  her  living  by  keeping  boarders,  to  feed 
her  servants  on  the  same  that  she  did  people 
who  paid  eight  and  ten  and  twelve  dollars  a 
week."  Besides,  everybody  knows  that  cake 

16 


«  MERRY  CHRISTMAS  TO  MAG  " 

and  sweetmeats  are  not  the  best  food  for  a 
pale-faced,  growing  girl.  It  is  true  that  it  was 
often  said  to  Mag  about  her  supper-time, 
"  Here,  child,  take  a  bite  and  then  run  to  the 
corner  with  this  note,"  or  "  to  the  grocery  with 
this  order,"  or  "  to  the  drug  store  with  this 
prescription ;  you  can  eat  as  you  run."  Never- 
theless, Mag  rarely  went  hungry,  and  was  not 
often  cold,  except  when  she  went  to  bed  at  night 
and  got  up  in  the  morning.  There  was  no 
means  of  warming  the  little  fifth-story  hall 
closet  that  held  her  cot;  but  there  were  clothes 
enough  on  her  bed,  when  she  was  fairly  under 
them,  to  stop  the  shivers  after  awhile;  and  so, 
in  this,  as  in  all  other  respects,  Mag  Jessup 
was  a  great  deal  better  off  than  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  children  in  the  streets  of  great 
cities. 

Nobody  was  unkind  to  her  or  meant  to  be. 
It  is  true  they  kept  her  busy  from  Monday 
morning  until  Monday  morning  again.  They 
sent  her  toiling  up  three  long  flights  of  stairs 
after  a  pin,  or  a  newspaper,  as  carelessly  as  they 

'7 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

would  have  sent  a  monkey  or  a  kitten.  Nobody 
ever  seemed  to  remember  that  she  might  be 
tired,  or  sleepy,  or  busy  about  something  im- 
portant. What  else  could  be  expected?  Was 
she  not  there  to  earn  her  living  by  doing 
errands,  and  odds  and  ends  ?  I  had  almost  said 
that  nobody  scolded  her;  but  that  would  have 
been  a  mistake ;  Norah,  the  cook,  scolded  every- 
body that  she  dared.  It  seemed  to  be  a  part 
of  her  work.  One  would  almost  have  supposed 
that  her  excellent  pies,  and  delicious  puddings, 
and  delicate  cake  had  to  have  sharp,  cutting 
words  for  flavoring,  so  regularly  were  they 
used  in  the  making.  And  who  so  convenient 
for  scolding  as  Mag,  whose  duty  it  was,  to  be 
on  hand  when  she  summoned  her,  and  to  do 
her  bidding  ? 

Then  there  was  Mrs.  Perkins,  with  a  large 
family  on  her  hands,  and  some  of  them  very 
"trying"  people,  and  a  hundred  burdens  of 
which  others  knew  nothing,  what  more  natural 
than  that  she  should  sometimes  grow  "  nerv- 
ous" and  scold  right  and  left?  She  could  not 

18 


«  MERRY  CHRISTMAS  TO  MAG  " 

scold  Norah,  for  she  would  have  "  given  warn- 
ing," and  the  head  waiter  was  Norah's  cousin, 
and  the  chambermaid  her  friend;  of  course,  it 
would  not  do  to  blame  them,  whatever  went 
wrong;  it  was  really  a  necessity  to  vent  her 
nerves  on  Mag.  It  is  also  undeniable  that  Miss 
Annie  Perkins  was  sometimes  in  ill  humor,  and 
Miss  Kate  had  many  school  irritations, 
and  both  of  them  had  a  habit  of  calling 
Mag  a  "  lazy  little  thing ! "  or  a  "  horrid 
poke!"  or  a  "careless  dunce!"  whenever 
anything  went  wrong.  But,  despite  these,  and 
a  hundred  other  drawbacks,  Mag  Jessup  had 
much  to  be  thankful  for.  Mrs.  Perkins  often 
told  her  so.  Many  were  the  children  who  went 
hungry  to  bed ;  who,  in  fact,  had  no  beds  to  go 
to.  They  had  drunken  fathers  and  cruel 
mothers,  who  knocked  them  down,  and  kicked 
them,  and  turned  them  out  in  the  cold;  she 
should  think  of  them,  and  be  grateful. 

Mag  was  grateful,  in  a  way;  and  patient 
and  painstaking;  and  always  in  doubt  as  to 
whether  or  not  she  earned  enough  to  pay  for 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

her  board  and  clothes,  and  whether,  as  she  grew 
older  and  would  have  to  eat  more,  Mrs.  Perkins 
could  possibly  afford  to  keep  her. 

It  was  drawing  near  Christmas  time.  The 
boarders  at  Mrs.  Perkins's  house  talked  inces- 
santly, when  they  met,  about  the  handkerchief- 
cases,  and  photograph-frames,  and  pin  trays, 
and  perfume-bags,  and  what  not,  that  they  were 
making  or  buying  for  Christmas  gifts.  Mag 
had  to  leave  her  knives,  or  her  duster,  twenty 
times  in  a  day  to  run  to  the  fancy  counter  of  the 
great  cheap  store,  to  match  "  floss,"  or  get  a 
spool  of  pink  silk,  or  another  square  of  canvas. 
From  morning  until  night  she  heard  nothing 
but  snatches  of  Christmas  talk.  The  kitchen 
was  full  of  it.  Norah  was  "  doing  "  a  won- 
derful bit  of  crazy  work  that  was  to  decorate 
her  cousin's  best-room  sofa,  and  the  chamber- 
maid told  her  that  she  had  been  saving  up 
money  for  three  months  to  buy  an  elegant  pres- 
ent for  her  mother.  Mag  listened  to  it  all  in 
respectful  silence.  She  had  no  money  to  save 
up,  and  no  mother  to  save  it  for,  and  she  never 

20 


»  MERRY  CHRISTMAS  TO  MAG  " 

had  had  a  Christmas  present  in  her  life.  Thir- 
teen years  old,  and  never  a  Christmas  gift! 
You  can  scarcely  believe  that,  but  it  is  true. 
She  did  not  go  to  Sunday  school;  the  Perkins 
boarders  liked  their  Sunday  dinner  at  just  about 
the  hour  for  Sunday-school,  and  Mag  could 
not  be  spared.  She  had  gone  when  she  was 
younger,  a  few  Sundays,  but  had  always,  either 
on  account  of  clothes,  or  illness,  or  carelessness, 
dropped  out  so  long  before  Christmas-time  that 
none  of  the  gifts  had  sought  her  out.  She  won- 
dered how  it  would  seem  to  wake  up  in  the 
morning  and  find  a  gift  under  her  pillow,  or  on 
the  stool  beside  her  cot.  She  could  not  think 
how  it  would  seem,  but  she  laughed  aloud  over 
the  idea. 

"  Fiddlesticks ! "  said  Mr.  Frederick  Ains- 
worth,  looking  at  the  open  package  in  his  lap  in 
great  disdain,  "  it  isn't  in  the  least  what  I 
thought  it  was,  from  the  advertisement;  not 
so  large  nor  so  nicely  bound;  it  is  nothing  but 
paper  covers.  That  won't  do  for  Margaret.  It  is 
babyish,  besides.  I  might  have  known  that 

21 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

from  the  title:  'Little  Pillows!'  Whatever 
possessed  me  to  tell  Ned  to  get  it  for  me  ?  How 
came  I  to  forget  Margaret,  I  wonder,  when  I 
was  buying  the  other  things?  This  won't  do, 
anyhow.  I  must  skip  out  this  very  evening 
and  get  something  more  suited  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet. She  would  toss  her  yellow  curls  in  dis- 
dain over  a  gift  like  this.  I  wonder  what  I  will 
do  with  the  thing?" 

"  Mr.  Frederick,"  said  a  quiet  little  voice  at 
his  elbow.  "  Here  is  a  note  I  was  to  give  you 
as  soon  as  you  came  in." 

"  All  right,  Mag,  pass  it  over."  As  he  drew 
the  neat  little  note  from  the  envelope  he  caught 
a  glimpse  of  Mag's  large  brown  eyes  and  grave 
face,  and  said  to  himself :  "  What  a  serious- 
faced  little  mouse  that  is.  I  wonder  if  she  ever 
laughs  ?  She  looks  as  though  she  did  not  know 
that  Christmas  was  only  three  days  off.  Hal- 
loo !  Why  shouldn't  I  give  the  '  Little  Pillows  ' 
to  her?  She  wouldn't  mind  the  paper  cover. 
That's  the  very  thing  I'll  do.  Just  so,  my  re- 
spected uncle;  I  shall  be  happy  to  eat  my 

22 


"MERRY  CHRISTMAS  TO  MAG" 

Christmas  dinner  with  you,  since  I  can't  eat  it 
at  home.  Seems  to  me  your  invitation  is 
awfully  late,  but  never  mind;  better  late  than 
never.  Now  I  must  skip  out  and  get  Margaret 
something  fine,  certainly." 

Frederick  Ainsworth,  or  "  Ainsworth,"  as 
the  boys  in  school  called  him,  or  "  Mr.  Fred- 
erick," as  Mag  had  been  instructed  to  say,  was 
one  of  Mrs.  Perkins's  boarders  for  the  season. 
His  father  and  mother  lived  in  town,  but  had 
gone  to  Europe  for  a  year,  in  search  of  health 
for  the  father;  so  the  town  house  was  closed, 
his  sister  was  away  at  boarding-school,  and  he, 
being  in  his  last  year  in  High  School,  had  been 
sent  to  Mrs.  Perkins's  as  the  most  convenient 
boarding-house.  A  merry,  happy-hearted 
young  fellow  of  fifteen  was  Frederick  Ains- 
worth. A  boy  who  worked  hard  in  school  and 
on  the  ball  ground  or,  in  fact,  wherever  else 
he  was.  A  clean,  wholesome,  genial  boy;  who 
had  hosts  of  friends,  and  missed  his  mother 
so  much  that  he  covered  his  face  with  the  bed- 
clothes every  night,  to  hide  the  tears  that  would 

23 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

start  at  the  thought  of  her ;  but  he  told  himself 
cheerily  every  morning  that  father  would  be 
sure  to  get  better  fast,  now  that  he  was  away 
from  that  horrid,  confining  business,  and  had 
mother  with  him  all  day  long.  Next  year  this 
time  they  would  all  be  at  home  again,  and  as 
jolly  as  ever.  Frederick  had  only  been  a  mem- 
ber of  Mrs.  Perkins's  family  since  the  fall  term 
opened,  and  knew  very  little  of  Mag  save  that 
she  was  always  careful  to  dust  his  room  neatly, 
and  would  run  to  the  post-box  with  a  letter 
quicker  than  he  could  do  it  himself.  No  thought 
of  making  her  a  present  had  entered  his  mind 
until  he  wondered  what  to  do  with  the  book 
called  "Little  Pillows"  that  he  had  made  a 
mistake  in  getting  for  his  pretty  cousin, 
Margaret. 

This  was  the  way  it  came  to  pass  that  Mag 
Jessup  had  a  Christmas  present.  If  she  lives 
to  be  a  hundred,  she  will  never  forget  the  ex- 
citement of  that  bitterly  cold  Christmas  morn- 
ing in  which  she  sat  up  suddenly,  rubbed  her 
eyes  to  make  sure  that  she  was  awake,  then 

24 


"MERRY  CHRISTMAS  TO  MAG" 

sprang  out  of  bed,  her  face  aglow  with  more 
than  the  cold  air,  and  seized  upon  a  package 
that  lay  on  her  stool!  A  package  done  up 
neatly  in  white  paper,  tied  with  a  pink  cord, 
and  saying  on  its  outside : 

"  Merry  Christmas  to  Mag.    From  F.  F.  A." 

A  book!  Actually,  a  whole  clean  book! 
Both  covers  on  it,  and  a  picture  of  green  leaves 
and  red  berries  on  one  side.  And  it  was  for 
her !  She  had  a  Christmas  gift ! 

I  am  afraid  you  will  almost  want  to  cry 
when  you  hear  it,  but  this  was  Mag  Jessup's 
first  book.  Not  even  a  First  Reader  of  her  very 
own  had  she  ever  possessed.  Was  there  ever 
anything  anywhere  in  the  world  so  dear  and 
precious?  She  hugged  it,  she  kissed  it,  she 
wanted  to  cry  over  it ;  but  sharply  chid  back  the 
tears  lest  they  should  fall  on  the  precious  cover. 

"  Mag !  "  called  a  firm  voice  at  the  foot  of 
the  second  flight  of  stairs.  "  Hurry  up !  there 
are  twenty  errands  waiting  to  be  done.  You 
can't  sleep  all  day,  if  it  is  Christmas.  Merry 
Christmas,  Mr.  Jones."  It  was  the  same  voice 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

in  a  different  key;  the  chambermaid's  voice, 
wishing  "  Mr.  Jones,"  the  porter,  a  merry 
Christmas.  Ah !  somebody  had  wished  her  the 
same.  "  Merry  Christmas  to  Mag."  Those 
were  the  very  words.  No  Christmas  chimes 
would  ever  sound  sweeter.  She  had  not  the 
slightest  idea  who  "  F.  F.  A."  was.  By  and 
by,  when  she  had  time  to  think,  she  would  try 
the  names  of  all  the  boarders  and  see  if  they 
would  fit.  Now  she  must  hurry  into  her  clothes, 
and  run  to  do  those  twenty  errands. 


26 


CHAPTER  II 

ETHEL 

BY  eleven  o'clock  the  "  twenty  errands  " 
and  a  hundred  others  were  done,  and 
Mag  was  ready  for  her  Christmas. 
She  had  a  delightful  plan  for  the  day.  She 
had  heard,  by  accident,  that  every  boarder 
was  going  out  to  dinner.  Surely  this  would 
make  a  great  difference  with  the  work;  only 
Mrs.  Perkins  and  her  daughters  at  dinner.  By 
three  o'clock  at  the  latest,  possibly,  if  she  was 
very  smart,  before  that  time,  she  could  get 
away,  and  go  down  to  the  lovely  lake  where 
the  skaters  went,  and  watch  them  fly  over  the 
ice  in  the  way  she  had  heard  about.  Mag 
had  never  seen  anybody  skate;  her  life  had 
been  spent  in  a  city.  But  this  lovely  artificial 
lake,  where  fine  ladies  went,  could  not  be  more 
than  two  miles  from  Mrs.  Perkins's  house,  and 
she  was  sure  she  could  walk  that  distance  for 

27 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

the  sake  of  seeing  the  beautiful  sight.  Why, 
they  actually  built  a  bonfire  on  the- shore  and 
skated  by  the  light  of  it !  and  had  hot  coffee,  and 
chocolate,  and  candies,  for  the  skaters  to  eat. 
It  must  be  such  fun !  Mag's  heart  had  been  set 
on  her  plan  for  weeks.  Alas  for  her!  Mrs. 
Perkins  had  other  plans. 

"  Have  you  finished  the  upstairs  work,  Mag, 
and  dusted  the  parlors?  Very  well,  then,  you 
are  through  with  work ;  I  am  going  to  give  you 
a  holiday.  Not  many  girls  have  almost  the 
whole  of  Christmas  Day  to  amuse  themselves 
in.  My  daughters  and  I  are  going  to  our 
old  neighbor's  on  Claremont  street  to  dinner; 
and,  as  the  girls  are  going  to  the  lake,  after- 
wards, to  skate,  we  shall  not  be  at  home  until 
evening.  None  of  the  boarders  will  be  back 
to  tea.  I  have  given  Norah  and  the  others  the 
rest  of  the  day ;  they  are  going  out ;  so  you  will 
have  the  whole  house  to  yourself;  see  how  I 
trust  you!  And  I'm  not  going  to  give  you  a 
bit  of  work,  because  it  is  Christmas.  All  you 
will  have  to  do  is  to  sit  in  the  nice  warm  hall 

28 


ETHEL 

and  answer  the  door  bell;  and  toward  night 
open  the  furnace  dampers  so  that  the  house  will 
be  warm,  and  have  the  tea  kettle  boiled,  so  you 
can  make  us  a  cup  of  tea  when  we  get  home. 
Your  dinner,  Norah  has  fixed  all  ready  for  you 
in  the  closet;  a  nice  Christmas  dinner.  There 
is  some  cold  chicken,  and  biscuits,  and  a  dish 
of  cranberry  sauce,  and  a  piece  of  mince-pie. 
Don't  you  wish  the  poor  little  street  girls  could 
have  so  good  a  Christmas  dinner  as  that  ?  " 

"  Yes,  ma'am,"  said  Mag,  but  her  face  was 
grave,  and  her  voice  low  and  almost  trembling. 
Could  it  be  that  Mag  was  ungrateful  enough  to 
be  almost  ready  to  cry?  Oh,  you  don't  know 
how  her  heart  ached,  and  how  long  that  Christ- 
mas Day  suddenly  seemed  to  her  to  grow. 
Alone  in  that  great  big  house  all  day  long ;  and 
to  sit  in  the  hall,  which  was  always  dark,  and 
do  nothing  from  morning  until  night !  Not  even 
the  thought  of  the  mince-pie  and  cranberry 
sauce  could  make  such  a  prospect  pleasant.  She 
would  rather  go  without  a  mouthful  of  dinner, 
if  she  could  but  put  on  her  coat  and  hood  and 

29 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

skip  away  to  see  the  skaters !    But  there  would 
be  no  getting  away. 

"  Now  mind,"  Mrs.  Perkins  said,  "  that  you 
don't  leave  the  house  for  a  single  minute ;  there 
is  a  message  of  very  great  importance  that  I 
expect  to  have  brought  to-day;  and,  in  any 
case,  I  don't  care  about  having  the  house  left 
alone;  it  isn't  safe.  It  isn't  every  little  girl  I 
would  trust ;  but  I  know  you  are  to  be  depended 
upon." 

This  was  a  crumb  of  comfort ;  it  had  a  pleas- 
ant sound  to  Mag.  Mrs.  Perkins  was  such  a 
busy  woman  that  she  did  not  often  take  time 
to  say  merely  pleasant  words. 

"  Mag  looks  very  sober,"  Kate  Perkins  said, 
as  they  were  going  down  the  steps  a  few  min- 
utes afterwards.  "  It  is  lonesome  work,  I  sup- 
pose, to  stay  there  all  day  with  nothing  to  do. 
I  should  die  of  stupidity." 

"  So    should    I,"    said    her    older    sister. 
"  Mother,  I  think  it  would  have  been  kinder  to 
her  to  have  given  her  some  sewing  to  do,  or 
work  of  some  sort.    It  is  awfully  dull  business 

30 


ETHEL 

to  sit  and  fold  one's  hands  and  wait  for  the 
door-bell  to  ring." 

"  I  had  nothing  ready  for  her,"  said  Mrs. 
Perkins.  She  stopped,  however,  on  the  lower 
step  and  seemed  to  be  considering  something. 
"  I  might  let  her  sit  in  the  back  parlor,"  she 
said,  doubtfully ;  "  she  doesn't  meddle  with 
things,  at  least  that  I  have  ever  discovered ;  and 
there  isn't  anything  there  that  she  could 
hurt." 

"  I  think  you  might  let  her  sit  in  the  front 
parlor,"  said  Kate,  "  and  watch  the  sleighs  g;o 
by ;  that  would  be  some  comfort." 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Perkins,  "  I  will." 

She  stepped  back  and  rang  the  bell.  Mag 
answered  it  at  once,  surprised  to  have  a  caller 
so  soon.  She  was  hurriedly  brushing  away  the 
trace  of  a  tear. 

Mrs.  Perkins  noticed  it,  and  was  glad  she  had 
come  back. 

"  You  may  sit  in  the  front  parlor  to-day,  if 
you  want  to,"  she  said,  kindly.  "  There  are 
plenty  of  people  passing  to  look  at.  You  may 

31 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

throw  open  the  south  window  blinds,  and  that 
will  give  you  a  good  view.  Don't  sit  in  the 
yellow  covered  chair,  it  soils  so  easily ;  but  you 
may  draw  the  big  willow  rocker  to  the  window, 
and  have  a  nice  time  in  it." 

Mag's  face  brightened.  "  Thank  you, 
ma'am,"  she  said,  speaking  almost  cheerfully, 
and  Mrs.  Perkins  went  away  with  a  lighter 
heart. 

To  sit  in  the  front  parlor  in  one  of  the  great 
rockers  was  a  rare  experience  to  Mag.  Once, 
when  she  had  been  dusting  that  room,  she  had 
dropped  for  a  single  frightened  minute  into  one 
of  the  big  upholstered  chairs,  to  see  how  it 
would  feel ;  and  that  very  minute  Mrs.  Perkins 
had  opened  the  door  and  asked  her  sharply  if 
she  expected  to  earn  her  board  and  clothes  by- 
sitting  in  easy-chairs.  Since  that  time  Mag  had 
not  tried  them ;  she  had  always  the  feeling  that 
Mrs.  Perkins  stood  with  her  hand  on  the  door, 
and  at  any  second  might  appear  to  chide  her. 
What  a  thing  it  would  be  to  sit  in  the  parlor 
for  almost  a  whole  day!  Not  to  sit  there 

32 


ETHEL 

guiltily,  feeling  that  she  was  doing  something 
wrong,  but  to  be  there  by  permission. 

I  do  not  think  Mrs.  Perkins  had  the  least  idea 
how  much  difference  this  small  thing  would 
make  to  her  little  maid. 

Mag  was  really  so  cheery  that  she  broke  into 
a  little  fragment  of  song  as  she  climbed  the 
stairs  to  her  own  room.  She  was  going  after 
her  Christmas  present.  It  lay,  wrapped  in  a 
bit  of  clean  paper,  carefully  tucked  under  the 
old  quilt  that  covered  her  cot.  She  had  meant 
to  take  her  chances  at  peeping  through  it  at 
different  times  during  this  Christmas  Day.  She 
could  not  look  long  at  a  time,  because  the  room 
was  so  bitterly  cold;  but  now  she  remembered 
gleefully  that  she  had  a  lovely  parlor  all  to  her- 
self, and  could  sit  in  an  easy-chair,  like  any 
lady,  and  rock  and  read.  How  delightful! 
Wasn't  it  almost  better  than  to  go  even  to  the 
lake  and  watch  the  skaters? 

She  gathered  the  treasure  close  to  her  heart 
and  ran  down  three  flights  of  stairs,  still  hum- 
ming the  snatch  of  a  song  that  she  had  caught 

33 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

from  Miss  Kate.  How  beautiful  the  parlor 
looked!  Mag,  who  had  never  been  in  any 
other,  thought  there  could  not  be  a  finer  one. 
In  reality,  it  was  simply  a  large  boarding-house 
parlor,  with  the  usual  number  of  upholstered 
chairs,  a  sofa,  and  two  or  three  tables.  To  Mag 
it  seemed  magnificent.  The  carpet,  a  good  re- 
spectable body  brussels,  she  thought  the  love- 
liest thing  that  feet  ever  trod. 

Drawing  the  large  willow  rocker  to  the  south 
window,  she  threw  open  the  blinds,  and  nestled 
into  the  chair,  with  a  little  chuckle  of  satisfac- 
tion. It  was  the  nicest  Christmas  Day  she  had 
ever  known.  How  splendid  it  was  in  Mrs. 
Perkins  to  let  her  sit  in  this  elegant  parlor. 

Then  she  opened  her  book.  "  Little  Pillows." 
What  a  queer  name.  Could  it  be  about  pillows  ? 
Mag  had  a  very  little  one  on  which  to  rest  her 
head  at  night ;  she  could  not  imagine  anything 
very  interesting  to  be  said  about  it ;  still,  there 
must  be  something,  else  a  whole  book  of  this 
kind  would  never  have  been  written.  Behold ! 
it  was  a  story.  How  delightfully  it  began :  "  A 

34 


ETHEL 

little  girl  was  away  from  home  on  a  week's 
visit."  That  was  the  first  sentence.  For  a 
little  girl  to  have  a  home  of  her  own  was  to 
Mag  the  most  blessed  of  ideas.  She  wondered 
how  the  little  girl  could  bear  to  leave  it,  even 
to  make  a  visit.  And  she  went  to  see  an  auntie, 
besides!  Mag's  experience  with  aunties  had 
not  led  her  to  think  this  a  desirable  thing,  but 
undoubtedly  there  was  a  difference  in  aunties; 
this  one  tucked  the  little  girl  into  bed,  and 
kissed  her  good  night!  And  then  she  said: 
"  Now  I  will  give  you  a  little  pillow."  How 
funny!  After  that  Mag  became  absorbed. 
She  read  slowly  through  the  description  of 
these  peculiar  pillows;  after  completing  the 
chapter,  she  began  it  again,  and  read  more 
slowly  still ;  stopping  at  the  end  of  every  sen- 
tence to  take  in  the  wonder  of  it. 

It  appeared  that  the  pillows  were  not  made  of 
feathers,  nor  yet  of  excelsior  like  hers — they 
were  made  of  zvords!  A  little  word-pillow  to 
be  read  every  night  at  bed-time.  To  be  read 
before  she  "  knelt  down  to  say  her  prayers ! " 

35 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

This  sentence  required  long  thinking.  Mag 
said  no  prayers.  Once,  when  she  was  a  very 
little  girl,  she  had  been  taught  a  prayer.  It 
began  with : 

"  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep." 

But  she  had  not  said  it  in  ever  so  long;  she 
was  always  so  tired  at  night;  and  it  was  gen- 
erally very  cold,  or  else  very  warm,  and  saying 
over  those  words  had  never  seemed  to  her  to  be 
interesting,  so  she  had  dropped  them.  But  she 
might  commence  again ;  she  sat  long,  trying  to 
recall  the  exact  words,  and  felt  sure,  at  last,  that 
she  had  them  all.  But  she  must  wait  until  night 
to  read  her  first  "  pillow."  That  seemed  hard 
to  Mag.  She  would  rather  have  read  it  then, 
sitting  so  cosily  in  her  easy-chair.  But  such  a 
habit  had  she  of  doing  exactly  as  she  was  told 
— what  a  grand  habit  that  is,  by  the  way — that 
it  did  not  so  much  as  occur  to  her  to  do  differ- 
ently now;  she  would  wait  until  night.  She 
read  the  story  over  again,  with  which  the  book 
began ;  read  it  until  she  felt  as  though  she  knew 
the  little  Ethel  for  whom  the  book  was  written, 


ETHEL 

and  the  wonderful  "  auntie  "  who  had  written 
it. 

"  I  wish  I  did  know  her,"  she  said,  aloud. 
"  I  wish  she  was  my  friend,  and  would  come  to 
visit  me.  I  wonder  where  she  lives?  I  mean 
to  play  that  she  has  come  to  spend  the  day 
with  me.  '  How  do  you  do,  Ethel  ?  You  can't 
think  how  glad  I  am  to  see  you.  Take  a  seat 
in  the  yellow  chair.'  It  can't  be  wrong  to  have 
a  play-girl  sit  in  the  yellow  chair."  This  was 
Mag's  afterthought.  She  considered  it  care- 
fully, and  decided  that  it  could  do  no  harm. 

The  idea  of  having  a  friend  visit  her  took 
such  possession  of  this  lonely  little  girl's  heart 
that  she  kept  it  with  her  all  day.  Persistently 
she  talked  to  "  Ethel."  When  she  went  down- 
stairs to  eat  her  Christmas  dinner,  Ethel  went 
along,  and  had  a  generous  share  of  the  chicken 
and  biscuit  and  the  whole  of  the  mince  pie.  She 
came  back  with  her  to  the  parlor,  and  was  set- 
tled again  in  the  yellow  chair.  When  any  un- 
usually gay  sleighload  passed  the  window  Mag 
would  exclaim :  "  O  Ethel !  did  you  see  those 

37 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

perfectly  sweet  scarlet  robes?  Weren't  they 
just  lovely?"  About  four  o'clock  the  bell  rang; 
Mag  hastened  to  answer  it.  Behold,  it  was 
her  one  acquaintance,  Janie  Jones,  whose  father 
kept  the  fruit  stand  where  Mag  often  went  with 
orders.  Janie  and  she  had  nodded  and  smiled 
at  each  other,  for  several  months,  and  had  had 
bits  of  talk  together,  occasionally.  Not  often, 
for  Janie  went  to  school,  and  was  only  occa- 
sionally at  her  father's  stand. 

"  O  Mag !  "  she  said,  "  I'm  so  glad  you  are 
here.  Father  is  going  to  take  me  a  sleighride 
out  to  the  lake;  he  has  the  delivery  sleigh,  and 
he  said  I  might  have  you  go  along.  Hurry 
real  fast,  for  father  has  got  to  be  back  in  an 
hour." 

"  Oh  my !  "  said  Mag.  And,  "  Oh  dear!  I 
can't.  I'm  all  alone,  and  I  mustn't  leave  the 
house." 

"  Lock  it  up,"  said  Janie.  "  We'll  be  back  in 
an  hour." 

But  Mag  resolutely  shook  her  head ;  she  had 
not  even  a  thought  of  doing  such  a  thing.  Had 

38 


ETHEL 

not  Mrs.  Perkins  said  she  could  trust  her?  Janie 
hurried  away,  and  Mag  went  back  to  her  rock-  • 
ing-chair  with  a  sober  face.  If  Ethel  had  not 
been  there,  she  would  have  cried  outright;  no 
such  lovely  chance  had  ever  before  come  to 
her. 

The  next  bell  was  the  basement  one ;  Norah 
was  the  first  to  reach  home.  Mag's  long,  lonely 
day  was  over ;  but  she  went  back  to  the  parlor ; 
she  had  been  in  the  midst  of  an  interesting  con- 
versation with  Ethel.  Presently  Norah  toiled 
up  the  stairs,  carrying  certain  Christmas  gifts 
that  had  come  to  her,  to  her  own  room.  The 
front  stairs  were  much  easier  to  climb  than  the 
back  ones;  and  since  there  was  no  one  in  the 
house,  Norah  chose  them.  Opposite  the  parlor 
door  she  stopped  in  astonishment.  Mag's  voice 
could  be  distinctly  heard  in  eager  conversation 
with  somebody. 

"  Well,  I  never!  "  said  Norah.  "  I  wonder 
what  the  missus  will  say  to  that."  When  she 
came  downstairs  she  boldly  threw  open  the  par- 
lor door.  There  sat  Mag  alone. 

39 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  Well,  young  lady,"  she  said,  "  has  your 
company  gone  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Mag,  with  a  foolish  little  laugh, 
"  she  has  gone ;  she  sat  in  that  chair,  Norah. 
She  has  been  here  all  day." 

At  that  moment  the  basement  bell  rang,  and 
Norah  vanished.  An  hour  later  she  thought  of 
Mag's  visitor.  Mrs.  Perkins  had  just  arrived, 
and  was  giving  directions. 

"  Did  you  give  Mag  leave  to  sit  in  the  parlor, 
ma'am,  and  have  company  ?  " 

"  Have  company !  "  repeated  Mrs.  Perkins, 
aghast.  "  What  company  ?" 

"  I  don't  know,  ma'am ;  some  girl  who  has 
been  here  all  day,  she  says;  sitting  in  the  yel- 
low chair.  I  heard  them  talking  like  every- 
thing; but  I  had  my  hands  full,  and  when  I 
emptied  them  and  came  back  the  girl  was  gone." 

Said  Mrs.  Perkins :  "  Well  of  all  things  in 
this  world !  I  did  not  think  she  knew  a  girl  in 
this  city.  Whom  can  one  trust  ?  "  Then  she 
summoned  Mag,  and  said  this  bewildering 
sentence : 

40 


ETHEL 

"  Mag,  you  may  go  upstairs  to  your  room, 
and  go  to  bed.  Don't  let  me  see  or  hear  of  you 
to-night.  You  will  have  no  supper;  if  I  had 
time  to  attend  to  you,  I  would  do  it  this  minute ; 
but  my  hands  are  too  full.  I  am  more  ashamed 
and  disappointed  in  you  than  I  can  tell.  After 
I  had  been  so  kind  to  you,  too !  Go  out  of  my 
sight." 


CHAPTER  III 

"  A   GIRL   OUT   OF   A   BOOK  " 

SUCH  a  poor  little,  bewildered,  discour- 
aged girl  as  it  was  who  toiled  slowly 
up  three  flights  of  stairs  to  her  cold 
room!  Supperless,  too,  when,  in  spite  of 
her  elegant  cold  dinner  and  her  piece  of 
pie,  she  felt  very  hungry.  She  had  looked 
forward  to  that  supper.  It  being  Christmas 
night,  perhaps  she  would  be  given  a  piece 
of  cake,  with  raisins  in.  They  had  such  cake 
sometimes  for  luncheon,  and  there  was  almost 
never  any  of  it  left  for  her;  but  now  all  the 
boarders  were  gone,  and  she  might  get  a  piece. 
This  thought  had  been  much  in  her  mind  for 
an  hour ;  now  her  hopes  were  blasted.  But  the 
strangest  and  saddest  part  of  it  was  that  she 
could  not  understand  the  reason  for  such  treat- 
ment. Certainly  she  had  been  faithful  to  her 
trust  all  day.  What  if  she  had  left  the  house 
to  care  for  itself,  and  gone  sleigh-riding  with 

4* 


"  A  GIRL  OUT  OF  A  BOOK " 

Janie?  She  might  as  well  have  done  it;  noth- 
ing worse  than  this  could  have  happened  to 
her  if  she  had.  Nevertheless,  down  in  the  bot- 
tom of  Mag's  heart  was  a  warm  little  feeling  of 
joy  that  she  had  done  no  such  thing.  What- 
ever Mrs.  Perkins  thought  about  her,  her  con- 
science told  her  she  had  done  well  that  day ;  and 
one  can  not  be  entirely  miserable  whose  con- 
science has  no  prick. 

Cold  as  it  was,  Mag,  as  soon  as  she  had  slip- 
ped off  her  clothes,  wrapped  the  little  old  shawl 
about  her  which  served  as  part  of  her  bed-cloth- 
ing, and  sat  down  by  her  speck  of  a  lamp  to 
read  "  Little  Pillows."  The  very  first  sentence 
held  her ;  she  felt  that  she  needed  it. 

"  *  Come  unto  me.'  What  kind,  sweet  words 
for  your  pillow  to-night!  Jesus  says  them  to 
you."  Could  that  possibly  be  true  ?  Why  should 
Jesus  think  of  her?  How  did  he  know  about 
her  ?  But  then  there  came  a  memory  of  a  Bible 
verse  she  had  once  learned :  "  Thou  God  seest 
me."  The  teacher  for  that  day  had  assured  her 
that  God  could  see  her  all  the  time ;  in  the  night 

43 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

and  the  darkness  as  well  as  in  the  daytime. 
There  was  another  verse,  repeated  during  that 
same  lesson :  "  The  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  in 
every  place."  They  frightened  her  a  little, 
those  Bible  verses ;  she  had  tried  to  forget  them 
and  never  quite  could.  Failing  in  that,  she  had 
tried  in  her  humble,  blundering  way  to  act  as 
well  as  she  could,  in  the  hope  that  God  would 
not  notice  her  much  if  she  did  nothing  very 
wrong.  If  Mrs.  Perkins  had  but  known  it, 
this  was  really  what  had  kept  her  little  maid  so 
faithful  that,  up  to  the  present  day,  the  mistress 
had  believed  that  she  could  trust  her. 

But  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  one  in 
whose  name  all  prayer  was  offered ;  Mag  knew 
that  much;  and,  if  he  had  actually  called  her, 
she  ought  to  come  to  him.  People  should  run 
the  minute  they  are  called.  Mrs.  Perkins  had 
taught  her  that.  How  could  she  do  it?  And 
how  could  she  be  sure  that  the  words  were 
meant  for  her? 

As  if  in  answer  to  this  question,  came  the 
very  next  sentence :  "  How  am  I  to  know  ? 

44 


"A  GIRL  OUT  OF  A  BOOK" 

Well,  they  are  for  every  one  that  is  weary  and 
heavy  laden.  Do  you  not  know  what  it  is  to 
be  weary  sometimes  ?  Perhaps  you  know  what 
it  is  to  feel  almost  tired  of  trying  to  be  good." 
Behold,  here  was  Mag's  very  thought!  Had 
she  not  told  herself,  while  coming  up  the  stairs, 
that  she  almost  wished  she  had  gone  with 
Janie  ?  How  wonderful !  It  must  be  true  that 
God  saw  her  all  the  time,  and  heard  her 
thoughts.  She  read  on,  breathlessly,  forgetting 
that  she  was  cold.  Read  through  the  entire 
portion  for  the  evening ;  read  some  of  the  words 
over  two  or  three  times,  especially  these: 

"  Suppose  your  mother  and  you  were  in  a 
dark  room  together  and  she  said :  '  Come  to 
me ! '  You  would  not  stop  to  say :  '  I  would 
come  if  I  could  see  you.'  You  would  say:  '  I 
am  coming,  mother.'  And  you  would  feel  your 
way  across  the  room  to  her  side.  Jesus  calls 
you  now,  this  very  night.  He  is  here,  in  this 
very  room.  Will  you  not  say,  '  I  am  coming, 
Lord  Jesus,'  and  ask  him  to  stretch  out  his  hand 
and  help  you  to  come?  " 

45 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

When  Mag  had  read  these  words  for  the 
third  time  the  tears  were  rolling  down  her 
cheeks.  She  felt  such  a  sense  of  loneliness  and 
longing  as  I  suppose  few  girls  of  her  age  would 
feel,  unless  their  lives  were  as  lonely  as  hers  had 
been.  She  did  not  fully  understand  the 
thought,  but  certainly  it  seemed  to  mean  that 
Jesus  wanted  her,  loved  her,  waited  for  her. 
Down  dropped  the  book  from  her  cold  little 
fingers,  her  hands  were  clasped  and  she  said 
aloud :  "  I  am  coming,  Lord  Jesus ;  stretch  out 
your  hand  and  help  me  to  come." 

After  a  few  minutes  she  dropped  on  her  knees 
and  said  the  same  words  again.  Did  Jesus  hear 
her?  Did  he  stretch  out  his  hand?  Do  you 
suppose  one  ever  called  to  him  in  earnest  and 
waited  for  his  answer  that  he  did  not  hear? 
"  While  they  are  yet  speaking,  I  will  hear." 
God  said  that  long  ago  of  those  who  called, 
and  God  does  not  change.  He  is  always  the 
same.  Never  mind  whether  or  not  Mag  un- 
derstood it.  She  understood  that  she  was 
strangely  comforted.  She  did  not  seem  to  be 

46 


"A  GIRL  OUT  OF  A  BOOK" 

lonely  now,  or  even  cold.  She  crept  into  bed 
and  drew  the  clothes  about  her,  and  hugged  her 
little  book  to  her  heart,  and  kissed  it  once,  twice, 
three  times.  After  a  minute  she  said  aloud : 

"  Good-night,  Ethel."  Her  imaginary 
friend  seemed  to  be  with  her  still.  Another 
minute  of  silence,  then  she  said  softly,  rever- 
ently :  "  Good-night,  Jesus ;  I  am  glad  you 
called  me.  I  will  try  to  do  just  as  you  say." 
Then  she  dropped  into  the  sweetest,  quietest 
sleep,  and  knew  nothing  more  until  the  cham- 
bermaid's voice  called  to  know  if  she  was  going 
to  sleep  all  day. 

That  Christmas  evening,  after  Mag  had  been 
sent  to  bed,  Mrs.  Perkins  sat  with  her  two  daugh- 
ters, and  drank  her  tea  and  ate  her  delicate  sand- 
wiches and  cake  with  raisins  in,  and  talked  over 
the  events  of  the  day,  especially  Mag  and  her 
company. 

"  I  don't  know  who  it  could  be,"  Mrs.  Per- 
kins said.  "  She  doesn't  know  anybody." 

"  Oh,  she  knows  people  enough,  probably," 
said  Miss  Annie,  "street  acquaintances;  they 

47 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

always  make  them.  It  was  very  likely  some 
horrid  little  Irish  youngster  who  may  have 
brought  smallpox  or  vermin  into  the  house.  I 
thought  this  morning,  when  Kate  wanted  you 
to  let  her  sit  in  the  parlor,  that  it  was  quite  a 
risk  to  run." 

"  And  she  sat  in  the  yellow  chair,  too !  "  said 
Mrs.  Perkins,  still  thinking  of  the  company. 
"  The  child  had  the  boldness  to  tell  Norah  so, 
after  I  had  cautioned  her  about  that  very  chair ! 
I  must  say  I  am  disappointed  in  her.  She  has 
always  seemed  to  take  pains  to  do  exactly  as  she 
was  told." 

"  I  don't  believe  she  had  any  one  very  dread- 
ful here,"  said  Kate  Perkins.  "  I  think  you 
might  have  let  her  have  some  supper  on  Christ- 
mas night.  I'm  sure  I  should  have  had  some 
company  if  I  had  had  to  stay  in  the  house  all 
day.  It  was  too  bad  to  send  her  to  bed." 

"  It  was  light  enough  punishment  for  a  dis- 
obedient little  girl,"  said  Mrs.  Perkins,  firmly; 

and,  Kate,  I  don't  wish  you  to  encourage  her 
by  any  such  talk.  To  stay  in  a  pleasant  house 

48 


"A  GIRL  OUT  OF  A  BOOK" 

all  day  and  have  a  good  dinner  isn't  so  hard  a 
lot,  I  am  sure.  I  won't  have  little  Irish  girls, 
nor  any  other  kind,  hanging  around  here  visit- 
ing her ;  you  may  be  sure  of  that.  And  I'll  find 
out  to-morrow  morning  who  was  here,  and  all 
about  it." 

Then  came  Norah  to  say  that  the  steak  had 
not  been  sent  for  breakfast,  and  Mrs.  Perkins, 
grumbling  a  little  over  the  way  in  which  people 
kept  their  promises,  said  she  supposed  she  must 
go  to  the  corner  market  and  select  something 
to  take  its  place. 

The  market  was  next  to  Mr.  Jones's  fruit- 
stand.  That  busy  man  was  just  closing  his 
stalls  for  the  night  as  Mrs.  Perkins  passed. 

"  You  and  I  have  to  work  on  Christmas  Day 
as  well  as  any  other,"  she  said  to  him  cheerily; 
for  Mr.  Jones  was  a  man  who  always  gave  her 
good  fruit  and  full  measure,  and  she  respected 
him. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  with  his  good-natured  laugh. 
"  Christmas  Day  is  first-rate  for  my  trade ;  peo- 
ple need  an  extra  quantity  of  fruit  to  celebrate 

49 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

with.  But  I  got  off  for  an  hour  or  two  this  af- 
ternoon; long  enough  to  take  my  children  for 
a  sleigh-ride.  That's  a  nice  little  girl  you've 
got  at  your  house,  ma'am;  an  uncommon  kind 
of  girl,  I  should  think." 

"  Do  you  mean  Mag?  "  asked  Mrs.  Perkins, 
her  face  darkening.  "  What  do  you  know 
about  her?  " 

"Not  much,  to  be  sure,"  said  Mr.  Jones;  "but 
my  Janie  has  taken  kind  of  a  notion  to  her,  and 
nothing  would  do  this  afternoon  but  she  must 
ask  her  to  go  on  the  sleigh-ride.  I  like  to  have 
my  youngsters  think  of  other  people  when  they 
can  as  well  as  not ;  so,  as  we  had  an  extra  seat, 
and  weren't  to  be  gone  but  an  hour  or  so,  I  gave 
her  leave  to  go  and  get  her.  And  the  little  thing 
wouldn't  leave  the  house !  My  Janie  isn't  used 
to  seeing  empty  houses  taken  care  of,  and  she 
wanted  her  to  lock  it  up  and  come  along;  but 
the  child  wouldn't  stir  a  step ;  she  said  you 
trusted  her,  and  she  wasn't  going  to  do  it.  I 
call  that  quite  a  temptation  for  a  little  mite  like 

50 


« A  GIRL  OUT  OF  A  BOOK  " 

her;  there  are  some  that  wouldn't  have  resisted 
it" 

"  Did  your  little  girl  go  in  ?  "  asked  Mrs. 
Perkins,  thinking  of  the  "  company  "  who  sat 
in  the  yellow  chair. 

"  Oh,  no ;  she  wasn't  gone  ten  minutes ;  you 
see  the  sleigh  was  waiting  for  her,  and  she 
clipped  it  as  hard  as  she  could.  But  she  was 
real  disappointed;  she  says  Mag  has  never  had 
a  sleigh-ride." 

Then  Mrs.  Perkins  went  home  more  be- 
wildered than  ever.  Who  could  the  company 
have  been?  And  if  Mag  could  not  help  her 
coming  in,  why  should  she  have  taken  her  to 
the  parlor  and  put  her  into  the  yellow  chair  ? 

She  waited,  the  next  morning,  until  breakfast 
was  over,  and  the  dinner  well  under  way,  before 
she  summoned  Mag  to  her  room. 

"  Now,  young  woman,"  she  said  severely, 
"  I  want  an  account  of  yesterday's  doings ; 
Norah  says  you  told  her  you  had  company  all 
day,  and  she  sat,  whoever  she  was,  in  the  yel- 

51 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

low  chair.  I  thought  you  knew  that  I  did  not 
allow  company,  especially  when  I  was  away; 
and  the  last  thing  I  did,  after  giving  you  leave 
to  be  in  the  parlor,  was  to  warn  you  about  that 
yellow  chair!  Just  explain,  if  you  can,  what 
such  actions  mean." 

Her  voice  grew  sterner  with  every  word,  be- 
cause no  one  certainly  could  have  looked  more 
like  a  culprit  than  Mag,  whose  face  was  very 
red,  and  who  dropped  her  eyes  and  twisted  the 
strings  of  her  work-apron  with  nervous  fingers. 

"  If  you  please,"  she  said  tremblingly,  as  the 
cold  voice  ceased,  "  I  didn't  mean  any  harm, 
and  I  thought  she  could  not  hurt  the  yellow 
chair;  because  she  was  only  a  girl  out  of  a 
book." 

"  A  girl  out  of  a  book !  "  repeated  Mrs.  Per- 
kins, staring  at  her  as  though  she  thought  her 
insane. 

"  Yes'm,  a  play-girl  I  made  believe  she  was 
there,  and  talked  to  her,  and  pretended  she  an- 
swered me.  There  wasn't  anybody  there  at  all, 
all  day.  But  I  talked  for  her  and  me,  too,  so 

5* 


"A  GIRL  OUT  OF  A  BOOK" 

as  not  to  be  so  lonesome ;  and  Norah  heard  me ; 
but  I  didn't  mean  any  harm.  And  I  let  her  sit 
in  the  yellow  chair  because  it  was  the  prettiest 
one  in  the  room,  and  she  looked  so  pretty  in  it, 
because  her  dress  was  white  and  yellow ;  I  mean 
I  pretended  it  was;  and  I  wanted  to  give  her 
the  best  place,  for  I  knew  she  couldn't  hurt  it." 

"  Well!  "  said  Mrs.  Perkins,  "  I  am  beat!  if 
ever  I  heard  such  nonsense  in  my  life !  Where 
did  you  get  such  notions  as  that  ?  " 

"  The  child  isn't  more  than  half-witted,  I  be- 
lieve," she  said  afterwards,  explaining  to  her 
daughters.  "  It  seems  that  young  Ainsworth 
gave  her  a  book  for  Christmas — a  queer  pres- 
ent to  choose  for  an  ignorant  little  thing  like 
her — and  there  is  a  story  in  it  about  a  girl 
named  Ethel,  so  what  did  she  do  but  pretend 
that  Ethel  came  to  spend  the  day  with  her !  and 
she  seated  her  in  the  yellow  chair,  and  took  her 
down  to  dinner,  and  I  don't  know  what  not! 
Part  of  the  time  she  talked  exactly  as  though 
the  creature  was  flesh  and  blood ;  but  it  is  quite 
plain  that  it  is  only  her  imagination." 

53 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  I  think  it  was  real  cute  in  her,"  said  Kate 
Perkins.  She  repeated  the  story  until  the 
boarders  got  hold  of  it;  and  some  of  them 
laughed  a  good  deal,  and  took  to  asking  how 
her  friend  Ethel  was,  until  the  poor  little  girl 
felt  almost  ashamed  to  meet  them.  No  one  of 
them  was  more  amused  than  Mr.  Fred  Ains- 
worth;  he  laughed  himself  hoarse  when  Kate 
Perkins  described  the  parlor  scene,  and  the  oc- 
cupant of  the  yellow  chair  who  was  dressed  in 
white  and  yellow  on  Christmas  Day! 

"  I  hope  it  was  a  woolen  dress,"  he  said, 
bursting  into  a  fresh  laugh  over  the  thought, 
"  else  she  would  have  frozen.  What  a  queer 
little  mouse  it  is!  I  wonder  if  she  keeps  up 
the  notion?  It  must  be  great  fun  to  have  an 
intimate  friend  that  one  can  summon  whenever 
wanted,  and  banish  the  minute  one  tires  of 
her."  But  to  himself  he  said,  with  a  compas- 
sionate smile :  "  Poor  lonesome  little  chick !  that 
tells  a  long  story  of  desolation.  Perhaps  she 
misses  her  mother.  I  appreciate  her  feelings. 
I  wonder  if  there  is  anything  a  homesick  chap 
like  me  could  do  to  make  her  less  lonesome  ?  " 

54 


CHAPTER  IV 
"I'LL  DO  MY  VERY  BEST" 

THE    holidays    were    over;    Mrs.    Per- 
kins's boarders  were  all  back  in  their 
places,  and  the  work-a-day  world  was 
as  busy  as  ever.     Mag  Jessup  was  dusting  the 
books  on  Mr.  Frederick  Ainsworth's  shelves. 
It  was  late  in  the  afternoon,  but  this  extra  bit 
of  work  had  had  to  wait  until  a  hundred  other 
things  were  done ;  so  Mr.  Ainsworth  had  come 
in  from  afternoon  recitations  and  caught  her  at 
it. 

"  Never  mind  me,"  he  had  said,  as  he  sat 
down  to  his  table  and  drew  a  book  towards  him, 
"  you  won't  disturb  me."  So  the  dusting  had 
gone  on.  Mag  had  made  in  the  course  of  her 
work  a  delightful  discovery.  Many  of  the  books 
she  had  opened  as  she  dusted  them  and  glanced 
at  the  fly-leaf.  She  found  written  there  some- 
times, "  Frederick  Forest  Ainsworth  " ;  some- 

55 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

times  merely  "  F.  F.  A."  The  very  initials 
that  had  come  to  her  with  her  dear  "  Little  Pil- 
lows !  "  She  had  suspected  it  before ;  now  she 
was  sure  of  it.  Mr.  Frederick  was  the  one  who 
had  given  her  a  Christmas  present !  She  ought 
to  thank  him,  and  wanted  to ;  but  could  not  de- 
cide how  to  do  it,  and  was  dreadfully  afraid  of 
disturbing  him.  Suddenly  he  helped  her  out. 

"  Well,  Mag,"  he  said,  leaning  back  in  his 
study-chair,  "  what  kind  of  a  Christmas  had 
you?" 

"  Oh !  a  lovely  one,  Mr.  Frederick ;  and  I've 
wanted  to  thank  you  ever  since;  nobody  ever 
gave  me  one  before,  and  it  was  so  very,  very 
good  of  you;  and,  of  course,  I  didn't  expect 
anything,  but,  oh,  I  love  it  so !  " 

Mr.  Frederick  wheeled  about  in  his  chair  and 
looked  at  her  quizzically.  "  Do  you  think  that 
is  a  very  clear  remark?  "  he  asked.  "  What  am 
I  expected  to  understand  from  it?  Nobody 
ever  gave  you  a  Christmas  before,  do  you  say? 
And  do  you  possibly  imagine  that  I  manufac- 
tured this  Christmas  Day  for  your  benefit  ?  " 

56 


"  I'LL  DO  MY  VERY  BEST  " 

Mag  laughed ;  she  knew  he  was  making  fun 
of  her;  but  his  voice  was  so  pleasant  that  she 
did  not  mind. 

"Why,  I  mean  the  'Little  Pillows/"  she 
said.  "  I  'most  thought  you  gave  it  to  me  all 
the  while;  but  now  I  am  sure,  because  I  have 
found  '  F.  F.  A.'s  '  all  over  your  books." 

"  I  gave  you  some  little  pillows !  What  an 
idea !  Where  did  you  suppose  I  would  get  pil- 
lows to  give  away?  Are  they  made  of 
feathers  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Mag,  gleefully.  "  Don't  you 
remember  the  dear  little  book?  That  is  its 
name.  And  I  never  had  a  book  of  my  very  own 
before,  and  so  " 

But  Mr.  Frederick  interrupted  her. 

"  What  is  that  ?  Never  had  a  book  before ! 
You  don't  mean  that,  of  course,  Mag.  What 
about  your  spelling-books,  and  geographies, 
and  all  those?  Do  you  mean  you  never  had 
a  story-book  of  your  own?  Though,  if  I  re- 
member those  '  Little  Pillows '  at  all  I  should 
say  there  wasn't  much  story  about  them." 

57 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  No,"  said  Mag,  shaking  her  head  gravely ; 
"  I  mean  just  what  I  said.  I  never  had  a  book  of 
my  very  own  before;  never  in  my  life.  I  looked 
over  with  Trudie  Wallace  in  reading,  and  I 
borrowed  Jimmie  Smith's  speller,  and  geogra- 
phies I  got  chances  at  when  I  could.  This  is 
my  very  first  book." 

Frederick  Ainsworth  had  ceased  to  laugh,  or 
even  smile.  He  was  utterly  amazed.  To  reach 
the  age  that  Mag  probably  had,  and  own  no 
books,  was  to  him  bewildering. 

"  Upon  my  word !  "  he  murmured  at  last, 
rather  to  himself  than  to  Mag.  Then  a  new 
thought  struck  him. 

"  But  of  course  you  have  a  Bible?  " 

"Oh,  no,  sir,"  said  Mag;  "my  aunt  had  a 
big  one  with  pictures  in  it;  and  sometimes  on 
Sunday  we  looked  at  it;  but  I  haven't  got  one 
of  my  own ;  no,  indeed !  Why,  it  is  a  very  big 
book." 

Mr.  Frederick  stared  at  her,  saying  nothing. 
His  astonishment  was  too  great  for  words.  He 
thought  that  everybody  had  Bibles.  His  own 


"I'LL  DO  MY  VERY  BEST'3 

lay  at  that  moment  on  a  bracket  shelf  too  high 
for  Mag  to  reach,  covered  with  dust.  He  had 
not  looked  at  it  for  weeks;  never  mind,  he 
should  consider  himself  a  heathen  if  he  had  no 
Bible.  Perhaps  this  little  girl  was  no  better 
than  a  heathen.  He  continued  to  look  at  her 
with  a  curious,  troubled  gaze. 

"  Don't  you  go  to  Sunday-school?  "  he  asked 
her  suddenly;  another  theory  of  his  was  that 
everybody  of  Mag's  size  ought  to  go  to  Sunday- 
school;  he  used  to  when  he  was  a  little  fel- 
low. 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  Mag,  who  had  returned  to 
her  dusting,  and,  therefore,  was  not  embar- 
rassed by  the  great  eyes  gazing  at  her.  "  I 
went  when  I  was  a  little  girl  " — pray,  what  was 
she  now ! — "  but  Mrs.  Perkins  can  not  spare 
me;  all  the  Sunday-schools  near  here  are  just 
at  dinner  time,  and  I  have  to  help  wait  on  table 
on  Sundays." 

"  And  you  don't  go  to  day  school,  either,  I 
suppose  ?  How  old  are  you,  Mag  ?  " 

"  Thirteen  last  month." 

59 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  Bless  me !  "  said  her  questioner  with  a  start 
of  amazement;  but  he  completed  his  sentence 
with  a  whistle.  Had  he  put  it  into  words  it 
would  have  been  something  like  this :  "  Thir- 
teen !  I  did  not  think  you  were  ten  yet,  upon  my 
honor.  What  a  little  runt  you  are !  "  Memories 
of  having  told  his  cousin  Margaret  about  a 
small  specimen  aged  nine  or  so,  who  dusted  his 
room,  and  ran  of  errands,  returned  to  him. 

"  You  ought  to  go  to  school."  This  was 
what  he  interrupted  the  whistling  to  say  with 
some  emphasis. 

"  I  can't,"  said  Mag,  gravely  shaking  that 
small  brown  head  of  hers.  "  I  can't  ever  go,  it 
isn't  likely.  I'm  not  like  other  girls  who  have 
fathers  and  mothers  and  homes ;  I  have  to  earn 
my  living." 

Fred  Ainsworth  felt  a  curious  sensation  in 
his  throat ;  almost  as  he  felt  sometimes  at  night 
when  the  lights  were  out,  and  he  especially 
missed  his  mother.  What  a  little  mouse  it  was 
to  be  talking  about  "  earning  her  living,"  and 
explaining  so  gravely  that  she  was  "  not  like 

60 


"I'LL  DO  MY  VERY  BEST" 

other  girls !  "  It  was  a  great  shame,  however ; 
something  ought  to  be  done  for  her. 

"  But,  see  here !  "  he  burst  forth  with  such 
energy  that  Mag  was  startled  and  dropped  her 
duster.  "  You  are  not  going  to  stay  a  little 
girl  always,  you  know ;  and  when  you  get  to  be 
a  woman  you  can  earn  your  living  ten  times 
easier  if  you  have  an  education.  You  ought  to 
be  studying,  at  least;  even  if  you  can  not  go 
regularly  to  school.  You  know  how  to  read, 
don't  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed !  "  she  explained.  That  was 
why  she  had  liked  "  Little  Pillows  "  so  much. 
She  read  one  of  the  "  Pillows  "  every  night. 
"And,  oh,  Mr.  Frederick,"  she  continued 
eagerly,  afraid  lest  she  might  be  interrupted, 
and  this  golden  opportunity  pass,  never  to  re- 
turn, "  would  you  mind  explaining  something 
to  me?  It  is  about  praying.  You  remember 
in  the  Book  it  says:  'Ask  what  I  shall  give 
thee.'  I  mean  God  said  that  to  King  Solomon, 
and  the  Book  says  that  God  is  the  same  now, 
and  will  give  people  what  they  ask  for,  if  it  is 

61 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

good  for  them,  and  then  the  little  verse  at  the 
end  of  the  '  Pillow  '  says : 

'  Thou  art  coming  to  a  King, 
Large  petitions  with  thee  bring; 
For  his  grace  and  power  are  such 
None  can  ever  ask  too  much.' 

Now,  what  I  wanted  to  know  was  whether 
it  means  all  sorts  of  things.  I  know  I  can  ask 
God  to  take  care  of  me,  and  help  me  to  be  faith- 
ful, and  to  remember  all  the  errands,  and  not 
to  be  cross  to  Miss  Annie,  or  to  Norah,  or  any- 
body ;  and  I  do  ask  him  every  night  and  morn- 
ing; and  it  helps,  oh,  you  can't  think  how 
much!  But  I  mean  other  things;  things 
that  you  want,  just  dreadfully,  you  know; 
and  are  sure  you  can't  get.  Would  it  be  right 
to  pray  about  them  ?  I  haven't  got  any  mother, 
Mr.  Frederick,  to  ask  things  of ;  and  I  thought 
you  wouldn't  mind,  since  you  had  been  so  very 
kind,  and  given  me  the  dear  book." 

Did  she  add  that,  because  young  Ainsworth 
hesitated,  and  felt  his  face  growing  red  under 
her  earnest  gaze?  In  truth,  he  was  very  much 

62 


"I'LL  DO  MY  VERY  BEST" 

embarrassed.  It  was  the  first  time  in  his  life 
that  anybody  had  come  to  him  asking  questions 
about  prayer,  and  he  felt  that  not  even  Mag  her- 
self could  know  less  about  it  than  he  did.  But  it 
was  monstrous  to  let  her  think  that  he  was  too 
important  to  answer  her  questions.  He  made 
haste  to  say  something. 

"  I  don't  believe  I'm  up  on  such  subjects 
much,  Mag;  they  don't  teach  them  at  our 
school.  However,  I  believe  you  are  quite  safe 
in  praying  for  anything  you  choose.  Whether 
you  will  get  it  or  not  is  another  question;  but 
there  certainly  can  be  no  harm  in  asking." 

"  That  was  what  I  thought,"  Mag  said,  her 
face  in  a  glow  of  satisfaction.  "  You  see,  it 
tells  in  the  other  places  about  how  very  much 
Jesus  loves  us,  and  what  he  did  to  save  us,  and 
how  he  watches  us  all  night  as  well  as  all  day, 
and  I  thought  perhaps  he  would  like  to  have  us 
just  speak  out  plain  and  ask  for  what  we  wanted 
very  much,  and  then  leave  it  with  him  to  decide 
whether  or  not  to  give  it  to  us." 

"  Exactly,"  said  Frederick;  "  that  is  common 

63 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

sense."  Then,  having  felt  that  he  had  given 
some  very  good  advice,  curiosity  got  the  better 
of  his  embarrassment,  and  he  added : 

"  Would  you  mind  telling  me  what  '  other 
thing '  it  is  that  you  want  to  ask  for  ?  " 

"  Oh,  there  are  ever  so  many,"  said  Mag,  her 
face  flushing  again ;  "  but  one,  the  one  I  want 
most  of  anything  in  the  world,  just  now,  besides 
the  things  that  I  knew  I  had  a  right  to  ask  for, 
is  to  go  to  a  meeting  that  there  is  away  down  at 
the  square.  They  have  it  every  Sunday  eve- 
ning, Janie  Jones  says,  and  her  father  takes  her ; 
and  they  sing,  just  lovely !  And  girls  and  boys, 
as  well  as  men  and  women,  talk  and  pray.  If 
I  could  go  to  that  meeting  and  hear  such  things, 
it  would  seem  almost  like  going  to  heaven  for 
a  little  while.  I  know  I  can't  go ;  but  it  makes 
me  feel  happy  to  think  I  can  pray  about  it ;  be- 
cause after  I  ask,  and  don't  get  it,  why  then  I 
know  it  wouldn't  be  best  for  me,  don't  I  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  Frederick,  dryly.  This 
was  an  entirely  new  line  of  talk  for  him.  More- 
over, he  was  all  but  dumb  with  astonishment 

64 


"I'LL  DO  MY  VERY  BEST" 

over  this  remarkable  choice,  from  all  the  places 
there  were  to  go  to  in  this  world.  He  knew 
of  the  meeting  down  at  the  square  on  which  her 
hopes  were  centered.  More  than  once  he  had 
received  an  invitation  to  attend  it,  and  had  not 
had  the  slightest  idea  of  ever  doing  so.  Yet 
here  was  a  little  girl  who  had  almost  nothing, 
and  looked  upon  this  very  commonplace  cor- 
ner as  "  like  heaven !  "  /Why  on  earth  didn't 
the  midget  go  if  she  wanted  to?  The  meeting 
wasn't  until  seven  o'clock ;  surely  her  work  for 
the  day  must  be  over  by  that  time. 

"  I  should  think  you  might  answer  your  own 
prayer,"  he  said,  giving  voice  to  his  thoughts. 
"  Why  don't  you  skip  off  to  the  square  on  Sun- 
day evenings  if  you  want  to?  You  have  only 
to  push  open  the  door  and  crowd  in  with  the 
rest;  seats  are  free  down  there,  and  everybody 
goes  who  likes." 

But  Mag  had  evidently  canvassed  the  entire 
matter.  She  shook  her  head  and  gravely  ex- 
plained that  Mrs.  Perkins  would  by  no  means 
allow  her  to  skip  away.  She  did  not  believe  in 

65 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

.little  girls  going  out  on  the  street  alone,  Sun- 
day evenings,  nor  any  other.  And  Mag  had 
been  distinctly  told  never  to  say  anything  more 
about  it. 

"Well,"  said  Frederick,  reflectively,  "the 
street  isn't  a  very  good  place  for  little  girls,  of 
course." 

Then  he  resolved  to  flee  to  some  subject 
which  he  better  understood. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,  Mag,  if  I  were  you  I 
would  set  about  that  education  that  you  ought 
to  get.  You  should  be  studying,  every  day; 
history,  you  know,  and  all  such  things.  I  had 
no  idea  you  were  so  old.  It  is  a  shame !  Don't 
you  have  a  little  time  every  day  that  you  might 
spend  in  studying?  " 

Mag  reflected,  and  finally  explained  that 
sometimes  she  sat  for  ten  minutes  at  a  time  in 
the  front  hall  with  nothing  to  do  but  wait  for 
the  bell  to  ring ;  and  that,  moreover,  there  was  a 
little  while  nearly  every  day  when  she  would 
not  be  called  upon  for  almost  half  an  hour. 
Then  there  were  evenings,  of  course ;  but  Mrs. 

66 


"I'LL  DO  MY  VERY  BEST" 

Perkins  only  gave  her  a  little  bit  of  a  hand  lamp 
that  would  not  burn  long,  and  did  not  like  her 
to  sit  up  in  the  cold. 

"  I  should  think  not ! "  said  Frederick,  with 
a  shrug  of  his  shoulders.  "  So  you  read  '  Lit- 
tle Pillows '  every  night  in  the  cold,  do  you  ? 
Well!  let's  see  what  book  we  can  find  that 
would  fit  into  those  wonderful  spare  minutes 
in  the  hall.  You  never  studied  arithmetic,  I 
suppose?  I'm  afraid  we  couldn't  do  much  at 
that,  in  the  hall.  History,  though,  might  be 
managed." 

He  arose  as  he  spoke,  and  went  toward  the 
well-filled  rows  of  shelves  that  Mag  had  been 
industriously  working  over  while  she  talked. 
He  ran  his  eyes  rapidly  over  the  titles,  a  curious 
smile  on  his  face  the  while.  What  was  he 
about,  any  way  ?  This  was  almost  as  new  busi- 
ness for  him  as  giving  lessons  on  prayer.  What 
would  the  fellows  in  his  class  say  if  they  could 
see  him  hunting  through  his  library  for  a  suit- 
able text-book  for  a  little  girl ! 

"  This  is  the  very  thing!  "  he  said  at  last,  tri- 

67 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

umphantly;  "at  least,  I  hope  you  will  like  it; 
I  did,  I  remember,  when  I  was  a  little  chap." 
Mr.  Frederick  was  not  three  years  older  than 
Mag;  but  nobody,  least  of  all  himself,  could 
have  realized  such  a  thing.  It  seemed  to  him 
at  least  a  dozen  years  ago  that  he  had  enjoyed 
Dickens's  "  Child's  History  of  England."  Why 
would  it  not  be  the  book  for  Mag  ? 

"  To  be  sure,"  he  said,  smiling,  as  he  handed 
the  book  to  her.  "  A  true  American  ought  to 
hunt  out  a  history  of  the  United  States  to  give 
you  first,  I  suppose;  but  I  haven't  one  to  my 
name  that  isn't  stupid;  so  we'll  try  this." 

He  might  as  well  have  talked  in  Greek  to 
Mag.  He  had  very  little  realization,  even  yet, 
of  her  dense  ignorance.  England  and  the 
United  States  were  both  unknown  countries  to 
her.  For  all  she  knew,  either,  or  both,  might 
mean  some  street  in  that  very  city.  But  she 
received  the  book  with  a  kind  of  awe,  mingled 
with  ecstacy,  and  listened  eagerly  to  the  young 
teacher's  directions. 

"  It  isn't  3.  story-book,  you  understand. 

68 


"  I'LL  DO  MY  VERY  BEST  " 

What  it  tells  about  all  happened.  You  are  not 
simply  to  read  it,  but  study  it.  Spend  those 
extra  ten  minutes  on  it,  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  them,  you  know,  until  you  get  some 
notion  of  what  the  book  says.  That  will  be  a 
start  toward  the  education  that  you  are  to  get. 
You  understand,  don't  you,  that  I  want  you  to 
get  an  education  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  she  said  earnestly,  her  face  per- 
fectly grave,  although  there  was  a  whimsical 
look  on  his  face,  "  and  I'll  do  my  very  best." 

Then,  with  the  book  clasped  in  both  hands, 
she  hurried  away  to  answer  a  sharp  call  from 
Norah. 

She  did  not  know  why  "  Mr.  Frederick " 
burst  into  a  ringing  laugh,  nor  did  she  hear  him 
say: 

"  Well  i  Frederick  Forrest  Ainsworth,  upon 
my  word,  this  is  a  new  departure  for  you ! " 


69 


CHAPTER  V 

"  RAISINS  " 

THE  month  of  January  was  not  yet  past 
when  trouble  in  a  new  form  came  to 
poor  Mag  Jessup.     It  began  with  a 
bowl  of  raisins.     I  suppose  if  Mag  lives  to  be 
an  old  woman  she  will  never  forget  how  she 
felt  on  that  Saturday  toward  the  last  of  Janu- 
ary when  the   sun   suddenly   seemed  to   stop 
shining. 

She  had  been  unusually  happy  that  morning. 
Nothing  had  ever  seemed  sweeter  to  her  than 
the  "  Little  Pillow  "  on  which  she  had  gone  to 
sleep  the  night  before.  A  new  boarder  had 
come,  and  on  her  finger  had  sparkled  a  diamond 
ring.  Mag  had  heard  not  only  Norah,  but 
Mrs.  Perkins  and  her  daughters  talking  about 
it,  and  Kate  Perkins  had  said  that  one  of  the 
girls  at  school  told  her  the  lady  used  to  be  very 
rich,  and  had  "  no  end  of  jewels."  Now  it  so 

70 


«  RAISINS  " 

happened  that  Mag  was  very  fond  of  jewels; 
when  she  walked  along  the  street  and  met  a 
lady  wearing  a  beautiful  pin,  she  almost  had  to 
move  slowly  so  as  to  gaze  at  it  as  long  as  possi- 
ble. Sometimes  she  dreamed  of  being  very 
rich — one  of  her  day  dreams,  I  mean — and  al- 
ways among  the  first  things  that  she  bought 
with  her  money  were  beautiful  rings,  and  pins 
set  with  jewels.  She  had  gone  upstairs  that 
evening  with  her  mind  full  of  the  beautiful 
lady,  and  the  hope  that  she  would  be  able  some 
day  to  see  her  jewelry.  Wasn't  it  strange  that 
when  she  opened  her  "  Little  Pillows "  the 
reading  for  the  evening  should  be,  "  My  jew- 
els"? 

Of  course,  after  that,  she  read  each  word 
with  even  unusual  care.  It  was  all  about  God's 
jewels ;  she  almost  held  her  breath  for  joy  and 
wonder  when  she  learned  what  they  were. 

"  If  you  fear  the  Lord  and  think  upon  his 
name,  you  are  one  of  his  jewels,  and  all  that 
you  are  going  to  read  about  them  is  for  you," 
so  the  book  read;  and  Mag  stopped,  her  eyes 

71 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

shining  and  her  cheeks  very  red,  and  hugged 
the  little  book  closer  as  she  said  aloud :  "  Oh, 
it  does  mean  me !  I  think  about  him  and  fear 
him  and  love  him." 

Then  she  read  on. 

"  God  has  found  and  chosen  his  jewels,  and 
he  will  never  lose  them.  Every  one  of  them  is 
kept  safe  in  the  casket  of  his  everlasting  love. 
He  does  not  mean  to  hide  them  away  and  be 
ashamed  of  them — the  day  is  coming  when  he 
will  make  them  up — when  they  will  all  be  gath- 
ered together  in  his  treasury,  and  shine  to- 
gether in  his  glorious  crown;  and  not  one  will 
be  forgotten  or  overlooked  or  lost." 

After  that,  Mag  could  pray  as  she  had  not 
prayed  before.  She  knelt  down  with  a  strange 
sense  of  value  upon  her.  She  was  not  simply 
little  Mag  Jessup  with  nobody  in  particular  to 
love  her,  and  nothing  to  be  very  glad  about. 
She  was  one  of  the  Lord's  jewels,  and  he  was 
going  to  take  care  of  her  and  never  lose  her. 
All  the  following  morning,  the  thought  was 
strong  within  her  that  God  loved  her  very 

72 


«  RAISINS  " 

much.    That  same  little  "  Pillow  "  she  had  read 

the  night  before  closed  with  a  verse  of  a  hymn : 

"  Sought  and  chosen,  cleansed  and  polished, 

Purchased  with  transcendent  cost, 
Kept  in  his  own  royal  casket, 
Never,  never,  to  be  lost." 

Mag  made  a  little  tune  for  it,  and  went  about 
her  dressing,  singing  it  cheerily.  Even  in  the 
kitchen  she  sang  it  softly,  until  Norah,  who 
had  extra  work,  and  felt  hurried  and  cross,  told 
her  to  stop  her  "  everlasting  humming  and 
'tend  to  her  work." 

There  seemed  to  be  extra  duties  for  every 
one  that  day ;  at  least,  Mag  had  never  been  kept 
busier;  and  the  door-bell  rang  continually,  in- 
terrupting everything  she  tried  to  do.  Several 
times  she  was  scolded  for  slowness  when  she 
might  have  explained,  if  anybody  had  given  her 
a  chance,  that  the  bell  had  rung  seven  times 
since  she  began  to  rub  the  spoons  and  forks. 
At  last  Norah  summoned  her  to  the  little  room 
off  the  kitchen,  where  bread  and  pies  and  cakes 
were  always  made.  This  is  the  way  she  called 
her: 

73 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  Mag  Jessup,  if  you  haven't  got  them  spoons 
done  yet,  it  is  time  you  had !  I  want  this  cake 
stirred.  Be  quick  about  it  now;  I  never  did 
see  such  a  slowcoach  as  you  are !  you  don't  earn 
your  salt.  What  Mis'  Perkins  bothers  with 
you  for,  instead  of  getting  a  smart,  capable 
girl  as  she  ought  to  do,  beats  me.  Take  hold 
of  that  cake-spoon;  not  with  that  hand,  little 
stupid !  the  other ;  and  stir  it  the  same  way  all 
the  time.  Mind  you  don't  change  at  all ;  it  will 
be  as  tough  as  leather  if  you  do.  I've  got  to 
go  and  see  to  my  chickens,  and  a  dozen  other 
things;  folks  in  this  house  always  have  to  do 
six  things  at  once ;  and  I  want  that  cake  stirred 
every  minute  till  I  come  back." 

She  was  gone  a  long  time ;  the  heavy  mixture 
in  the  large  yellow  bowl  was  faithfully  stirred 
by  Mag's  small  brown  hand;  always  the  same 
way,  although  her  hand  ached,  and  she  realized 
what  a  rest  it  would  have  been  to  have  made  the 
spoon  go  the  other  way.  Then  she  wondered 
Why  it  was  that  cake  stirred  "  the  other  way  " 
became  heavy.  She  never  for  a  moment 

74 


"RAISINS" 

doubted  the  statement,  for  Norah  was  a  fine 
cook,  and,  of  course,  knew  everything  about 
her  work.  If  this  were  one  of  her  good-na- 
tured days — and  she  occasionally  had  them — 
Mag  would  have  resolved  to  ask  for  a  reason 
for  this  strange  state  of  things ;  but  none  knew 
better  than  she  that  Norah  must  be  asked  no 
unnecessary  questions  on  this  day.  Her  hand 
began  to  ache  very  hard,  and  she  was  wonder- 
ing nervously  what  she  would  do  if  the  door 
bell  rang;  would  it  make  the  cake  "  as  tough  as 
leather "  for  her  to  leave  it  long  enough  to 
answer  the  bell?  when  at  last  Norah  appeared 
again.  What  was  Mag's  astonishment  over  her 
first  sentence. 

"  Well,  now,  Mag  Jessup,  I  think  you've 
done  it!  If  you  don't  catch  it  this  time,  then 
my  name  isn't  Norah  McGinty !  A  whole  bowl 
full,  and  heaping  at  that,  and  now  there  is 
hardly  half  of  them  left.  Do  you  think  I  have 
nothing  to  do  but  stone  raisins  for  you  to  steal, 
you  little  thieving  wretch !  " 

A  vigorous  shake  from  Norah's  strong  arm 

75 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

emphasized  this  last;  Mag,  when  released, 
fairly  staggered  under  its  force;  but  she  spoke 
quickly  and  with  unusual  energy. 

"  I  haven't  touched  a  raisin,  Norah.  I  never 
thought  of  such  a  thing;  why,  you  know  I 
wouldn't!  I've  just  stirred  the  cake  every 
minute." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Norah ;  "  you've  just  stirred 
the  cake  every  minute,  of  course;  and  the 
raisins  jumped  up  and  tumbled  themselves  out 
of  the  window,  I  suppose !  That's  a  likely  story, 
isn't  it?  Don't  you  think  you  see  Mrs.  Per- 
kins believing  it?  You're  a  jewel  of  a  girl,  you 
are !  Stuff  your  mouth  full  of  raisins  the  min- 
ute a  body's  back  is  turned;  and  had  to  take 
stoned  ones  at  that.  Little  ninny !  Why,  didn't 
you  know  you  would  be  found  out  ?  " 

If  she  had  not  used  that  word  "  jewel  "  no 
one  can  be  sure  what  poor  Mag  would  have 
said,  for  she  felt  herself  growing  very  angry 
indeed.  But  to  be  called  a  "  jewel  of  a  girl  " 
saved  her.  Yes,  she  was  a  jewel;  Norah  did 
not  know,  nor  Mrs.  Perkins,  nor  anybody,  but 

76 


"  RAISINS  " 

she  was  the  Lord's  own  jewel/  precious  in  his 
sight,  and  he  would  take  care  of  her.  But,  why, 
oh,  why,  did  he  let  Norah  suspect  her  of  steal- 
ing- raisins?  She  kept  her  lips  tightly  closed. 
It  was  no  use  to  tell  Norah  again  that  she  had 
not  touched  the  fruit,  and  she  must  not  say 
anything  else.  Her  very,  silence  seemed  to 
anger  Norah. 

"  Do  get  out  of  my  sight ! "  she  said  spite- 
fully. "Little  whining  hypocrite!  been  mut- 
tering a  hymn  all  the  morning !  You'll  sing  out 
of  the  other  side  of  your  mouth  before  night,  or 
I'll  miss  my  guess.  If  Mrs.  Perkins  doesn't 
make  you  sick,  I  should  think  the  raisins  would. 
How  you  must  have  stuffed  to  get  all  them 
down  while  I  was  gone !  " 

Poor  Mag  waited  for  no  more.  She  went 
back  to  the  knives  that  were  not  quite  finished, 
but  all  the  brightness  had  gone  out  of  her  heart. 
There  was  trouble  in  store  for  her.  Mrs.  Per- 
kins had  laid  down  strict  commands  against  her 
servants  "  nibbling "  anything.  Especially 
solemn  had  her  teachings  been  to  Mag  in  this 

77 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

respect,  probably  because  she  was  so  much 
younger  than  the  others.  The  girl  had  been 
assured  that  taking  things  from  her  mistress 
without  leave  was  nothing  more  nor  less  than 
stealing,  and  the  lowest,  meanest  kind  of  steal- 
ing at  that.  And  now  to  be  accused  of  stealing 
raisins !  If  it  had  been  bread,  poor  Mag  thought 
that  she  would  not  have  felt  so  humiliated. 
Norah  had  called  her  a  hypocrite.  Mag  did 
not  know  what  the  word  meant ;  she  said  it  over 
and  over,  resolving  to  look  in  the  big  book 
where  Mr.  Frederick  had  told  her  all  words 
were,  the  first  time  she  had  a  chance,  and  find 
out.  It  had  something  to  do  with  her  hymn, 
it  would  seem.  And  thus  reminded  of  the 
hymn,  the  forlorn  little  girl,  who  did  not  feel 
like  singing,  said  over  softly : 

"  Kept  in  his  own  royal  casket, 
Never,  never  to  be  lost !  " 

Ought  she  to  be  entirely  miserable,  after  all  ? 
"  What  is  all  this  I  hear  of  you,  Mag !  " 
It  was  several  hours  later,  and  Mag  had  be- 
gun to  dust  and  put  in  order  the  upper  hall, 


"  RAISINS  " 

when  Mrs.  Perkins's  voice  cold  and  stern,  sum- 
moned her  to  judgment. 

"  How  came  you  to  meddle  with  Norah's 
raisins,  after  all  that  has  been  said  to  you  about 
touching  other  people's  things?  Is  it  possible 
you  did  not  know  that  you  were  stealing  from 
me!" 

All  that  poor  Mag  could  do  was  to  repeat 
earnestly  that  indeed,  indeed,  she  had  not 
touched  a  raisin,  but  had  stirred  the  cake  every 
minute.  Mrs.  Perkins's  face  grew  sterner. 

"  Did  you  see  the  bowl  of  raisins  when  you 
first  went  in  the  work-room  ?  "  she  asked. 

Mag,  considering,  explained  that  before  she 
went  in  there  to  work,  Norah  had  called  her  to 
bring  a  spoon,  and  that  then  she  had  noticed  the 
raisins,  but  that  when  she  went  back  to  stir  the 
cake  she  had  not  noticed  or  thought  of  them  at 
all. 

"  And  how  full  did  you  think  the  bowl  was 
when  you  saw  it?"  asked  Mrs.  Perkins. 

Poor  Mag  hesitated,  and  her  face  flushed 
painfully ;  she  knew  her  answer  would  condemn 

79 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

herself,  but  the  truth  must  be  told.  With  a 
faltering  tongue  she  admitted  that  she  noticed 
that  the  bowl  was  very  full,  and  wondered  while 
she  stood  there  if  Norah  could  put  on  another 
raisin  without  making  them  spill  over. 

Mrs.  Perkins  looked  her  keen  rebuke.  "  You 
see  how  it  is,  you  wicked  child;  your  own 
words  prove  your  guilt.  You  own  that  the 
bowl  was  full  to  overflowing,  and  you  know 
that  you  were  the  only  person  in  the  room,  and 
that  the  bowl  was  only  half  full  when  Norah 
came  back,  yet  you  dare  to  tell  me  that  you  did 
not  touch  a  raisin !  That  is  simply  adding  false- 
hood to  the  sin  of  stealing.  And  that  last  makes 
it  a  great  deal  worse,  because  a  greedy  child 
might  even  be  tempted  to  steal  raisins,  perhaps ; 
but  to  steal  them,  and  then  lie  about  it,  shows 
a  depth  of  wickedness  that  I  must  say  I  did  not 
expect  in  you.  Now,  what  is  to  be  done,  do 
you  suppose  ?  My  raisins  are  gone,  of  course ; 
there  is  no  help  for  that.  But  what  am  I  to  do 
about  it?  Here  is  a  house  full  of  boarders  at 
your  mercy.  A  girl  who  will  help  herself  in 

80 


«  RAISINS  " 

this  way  to  other  people's  things  is  never  safe 
to  have  around.  I  suppose  I  must  warn  them 
all  that  we  have  a  thief  in  the  house,  and  they 
must  lock  up  their  possessions  when  she  ap- 
pears. That  will  be  very  pleasant  for  us  all, 
won't  it?" 

Poor  Mag's  already  burning  face  showed  a 
deeper  crimson.  She  believed  that  nothing 
more  terrible  than  this  could  ever  happen  to 
her.  To  be  branded  all  over  the  house  as  a 
thief;  to  be  railed  at  by  Norah,  and  sneered  at 
by  the  other  servants;  to  have  the  boarders 
looking  at  her  and  telling  one  another  that  they 
must  be  careful  lest  she  should  steal  their 
things;  above  all,  to  have  Mr.  Frederick  told 
such  a  tale  as  that !  She  felt  that  she  could  not 
bear  it. 

Mrs.  Perkins  looked  at  the  crimson  cheeks 
and  downcast  eyes,  and  watched  two  great 
tears  roll  slowly  down  the  small,  pale  face,  and 
felt  really  sorry  for  the  culprit.  After  all,  she 
was  a  little  girl  who  had  never  been  properly 
trained  in  her  early  childhood;  and  all  chil- 

81 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

dren  loved  sweets;  but,  of  course,  she  could 
not  have  her  pilfering  things.  It  was  just  as 
well  to  frighten  her  thoroughly.  She  would 
let  her  think  for  awhile  that  everybody  in  the 
house  would  know  of  her  disgrace.  But  the 
slow  tears  were  too  much  for  Mrs.  Perkins's 
heart.  After  a  few  minutes  of  solemn  silence 
she  began  again: 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I  will  do;  it  is  the  first 
time  you  have  been  caught  in  such  a  disgrace- 
ful act,  and,  therefore,  if  you  will  confess  to 
me  that  you  took  the  raisins,  and  tell  me  you 
are  sorry  for  having  told  a  wicked  lie,  I  will 
forgive  you ;  and  the  boarders  shall  know  noth- 
ing about  it.  That  will  give  you  a  chance  to 
show  by  your  actions  that  you  are  truly  sorry." 

Then  Mrs.  Perkins  waited  for  Mag's  grate- 
ful thanks.  She  felt  that  she  was  being  very 
kind  indeed;  kinder,  possibly,  than  she  ought; 
her  conscience  even  pricked  her  a  little,  because, 
of  course,  a  child  ought  to  be  punished  in  some 
way  for  telling  a  downright  lie ;  but  then  Mag's 
miserable  face  showed  that  she  was  being  pun- 

82 


«  RAISINS  " 

ished ;  and  it  must  have  been  a  sudden  tempta- 
tion, for  Mrs.  Perkins  recalled  instances  which 
seemed  to  prove  that  Mag  was  generally  truth- 
ful. For  this  once  she  would  err  on  the  side  of 
kindness  and  forgive  her  outright  as  soon  as 
she  confessed  her  sin.  But  Mag  stood  silent 
and  downcast,  the  slow  tears  still  falling,  one 
after  another,  on  her  brown  hand. 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Perkins,  a  trifle  sharply 
again,  "  have  you  nothing  to  say  to  such  kind- 
ness? It  isn't  every  one,  let  me  tell  you,  who 
would  waste  so  much  time  on  a  naughty  little 
girl;  Saturday  at  that,  and  all  kinds  of  work 
waiting  for  me.  If  you  are  going  to  confess 
what  you  have  done,  and  say  you  are  sorry, 
you  would  better  be  about  it;  I  shall  not  wait 
all  day,  I  promise  you." 

Thus  urged,  Mag  lifted  tearful  eyes  to  her 
mistress's  face,  and  spoke  slowly,  tremulously: 

"  I  thank  you  very  much,  ma'am ;  but  I  can 
not  confess  it,  for  I  did  not  do  it.  I  never 
touched  a  single  raisin." 

Mrs.  Perkins  made  a  gesture  of  impatience. 

83 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  Stop ! "  she  said ;  "  I  don't  want  to  hear 
any  more.  You  are  too  much  for  me,  I  declare ! 
Quite  skillful  at  lying,  it  seems;  and  I  confess 
I  did  not  suspect  it.  Very  well,  since  you 
choose  to  take  the  consequences,  I  will  decide 
what  to  do  with  you.  Meantime,  you  may  go 
back  to  the  kitchen.  Let  the  upstairs  work 
alone;  I  will  tell  Norah  to  keep  you  busy,  and 
to  keep  an  eye  on  you  at  the  same  time,  to  see 
that  you  do  not  steal  anything  else." 

Oh,  the  weariness  and  misery  crowded  into 
that  short  January  day!  Nobody  could  have 
persuaded  Mag  that  it  was  a  short  day.  It 
seemed  to  her  at  times  that  the  hour  would 
never  come  when  she  could  creep  away  to  her 
attic  room  and  cry.  Norah  found  no  difficulty 
at  all  in  keeping  her  busy,  and,  being  tried  by 
many  things,  found  it  a  relief  to  use  her  tongue 
in  all  sorts  of  stinging  ways  on  Mag.  When 
the  door-bell  rang  she  was  directed  to  see  to  it 
that  she  did  not  make  away  with  any  of  the 
things  on  the  hat-rack.  When  she  was  sent 
upstairs  with  a  cup  of  beef  tea  for  the  invalid 

84 


"  RAISINS  " 

boarder,  she  was  warned  not  to  make  a  mistake 
and  drink  it  herself!  In  these  and  a  hundred 
other  ingenious  ways  her  supposed  sin'  was 
kept  constantly  before  her.  The  climax  was 
reached  just  after  tea,  when  Mr.  Frederick 
Ainsworth  returned  to  the  dining-room  to  ask 
Norah  if  the  evening  postman  had  come  yet. 

"  I  don't  know,  I  am  sure,"  answered  Norah. 
"  Mag  says  he  has,  but  we  can't  believe  any- 
thing she  says." 

Mr.  Frederick  turned  back  in  amazement, 
and  gazed  first  at  Norah  and  then  at  poor  Mag, 
as  though  he  could  not  have  heard  aright.  It 
was  too  much  for  the  poor  little  girl ;  she  burst 
into  a  perfect  storm  of  tears  and  ran  past 
him  into  the  kitchen. 


CHAPTER  VI 


IT  was  three  days  since  the  raisins  had  been 
lost.     Sorrowful  days  they  had  been  to 
poor    Mag,    though    Mrs.    Perkins   was 
really  trying  to  treat  her  as  though  nothing  had 
happened.     This  was  because  Mr.   Frederick 
Ainsworth  had  inquired  into  matters,  and  earn- 
estly urged  that  she  should  be  so  treated. 

"  I  suppose  the  poor  little  mouse  never  had 
a  raisin  in  her  life  until  she  came  here,"  he  said ; 
"  and  all  children  are  wild  after  sweet  things." 
Mrs.  Perkins  was  soothed  by  his  hint  that 
since  she  had  taken  her  in  charge  the  child  had 
had  raisins,  and  admitted  that,  without  doubt, 
her  life  had  been  a  hard  one  until  she  came  to 
them. 

"  And  I'm  not  one  to  grudge  a  child  a  raisin 
or  two,  Mr.  Frederick,"  she  explained.  "  If 
she  had  asked  me  for  them,  she  would  probably 

86 


«  A  CRUMB  OF  COMFORT  ' 

have  got  some;  but,  of  course,  I  can't  have 
her  pilfering  things.  She  never  used  to  seem 
to  touch  anything;  I'll  say  that  for  her;  but 
there  must  always  be  a  first  time.  Still, 
since  it  is  a  first  time,  if  she  had  confessed  to 
me,  I  should  have  said  no  more  about  it;  and 
I  told  her  so.  It  is  the  obstinacy  that  she  is 

showing  " 

"  Oh,  well,"  interrupted  Mr.  Frederick,  "  I 
understand  that;  she  was  scared  into  saying 
that  she  didn't  touch  them;  and  then  she  was 
too  scared  to  take  it  back.  When  I  was  a  little 
fellow  mother  took  me  to  visit  at  my  uncle's. 
He  was  a  stern  old  man  unused  to  children,  and 
one  morning  he  pounced  upon  me  so  for  touch- 
ing his  ink-stand  that  before  I  knew  what  I  was 
saying,  I  declared  that  I  didn't.  And  I  stuck  to 
it,  through  thick  and  thin,  though  the  ink  was 
all  over  me.  My  mother  said  it  was  the  first 
falsehood  she  ever  knew  me  to  tell.  I  was  sim- 
ply frightened  into  it,  you  see,  by  my  uncle's 
manner.  I  suppose  Norah  may  have  done  the 
same  sort  of  thing  with  poor  Mag." 

87 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

Mrs.  Perkins  owned  that  it  might  be  so ;  ad- 
mitted that  Norah  had  a  sharp  tongue,  at  best ; 
and  agreed  to  treat  Mag  quite  as  usual  for  a 
few  days,  and  see  if  she  would  come  to  her 
senses. 

It  is  probable  that  she  tried  to  act  quite  as 
usual,  but  the  little  girl  felt  the  difference.  As 
for  Norah,  she  made  no  attempt  to  hide  her 
scorn  of  a  girl  who  would  "  steal  stoned 
raisins !  "  She  seemed  to  consider  the  sin  much 
increased  by  the  fact  that  the  raisins  were 
stoned.  All  day  Mag's  work  had  been  chiefly 
in  the  kitchen ;  she  had  not  been  sent  upstairs  to 
the  boarders'  rooms,  and  she  knew  that  this 
must  be  because  Mrs.  Perkins  would  not  trust 
her  there.  It  was  a  little  crumb  of  comfort 
to  be  sent,  just  at  nightfall,  to  replenish  the 
grate  in  Mr.  Frederick's  room,  even  though 
Mrs.  Perkins  herself  had  added  a  warning  to 
the  effect  that  she  should  not  meddle  with  any 
of  his  things. 

Mag  fed  the  fire  until  the  room  was  in  a 
cheerful  blaze;  then  she  lighted  the  gas,  and 

88 


"  A  CRUMB  OF  COMFORT  " 

made  all  things  comfortable  for  Mr.  Frederick's 
appearance.  His  was  a  downstairs  room,  open- 
ing from  the  front  hall.  He  had  himself  given 
her  permission  to  wait  there,  instead  of  in  the 
hall,  for  the  door-bell,  when  she  wanted  to  look 
at  any  of  his  books.  Her  duties  were  now  done, 
until  she  should  be  summoned  for  something 
else,  and  there  might  be  time  before  a  bell  called 
her  to  look  into  Mr.  Frederick's  big  dictionary 
for  that  word  "  hypocrite,"  which  had,  for  some 
reason,  stung  her  more  than  any  other  of 
Norah's  stinging  words.  Mr.  Frederick  had 
himself  taught  her  how  to  find  the  words.  She 
bent  over  the  book,  a  sad  little  face,  for  the 
three  days  had  been  hard  ones  to  her,  and  she 
could  see  no  reason  why  this  sort  of  life  should 
not  go  on  forever.  The  small  brown  finger 
moved  slowly  down  the  column  of  many  words. 
"  Hypochondriac,  hypochondriasis,  hypo- 
cistis !  "  how  many  words  there  were  that  she 
had  never  heard  of.  Ah !  here  it  was :  "  Hypo- 
crite !  "  She  bent  lower  and  read  every  word 
of  the  fine  print  with  painful  care.  "  One  who 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

feigns  to  be  what  he  is  not;  one  who  has  the 
form  of  godliness  without  the  power,  or  who 
assumes  an  appearance  of  piety  and  virtue 
when  he  is  destitute  of  true  religion."  Then, 
a  little  lower  down :  "  One  who  assumes  a 
false  appearance." 

Poor  Mag!  she  did  not  know  much  more 
about  it  than  she  had  before.  The  words  were, 
some  of  them,  so  large  and  so  new  to  her  that 
they  did  not  convey  any  meaning.  She  read 
the  first  sentence  again  and  again.  If  she  had 
been  familiar  with  that  word  "  feigns,"  she 
might  have  caught  the  idea.  As  it  was,  she  was 
very  much  puzzled.  Why  should  Norah  have 
called  her  a  hypocrite?  Was  it  because  she 
thought  she  had  told  a  lie  ?  Yet  what  had  that 
to  do  with  the  hymn  Norah  had  heard  her  sing- 
ing ?  So  engaged  was  she  that  she  did  not  hear 
the  front  door  open,  nor  the  sound  of  Mr.  Fred- 
erick's footsteps  until  he  stood  almost  beside 
her.  Then  she  started  violently,  the  blood 
flaming  into  her  little  brown  face.  For  three 
days  she  had  shunned  Mr.  Frederick  in  every 

90 


"A  CRUMB  OF  COMFORT" 

possible  way;  her  humiliation  at  the  thought 
that  she  had  been  described  to  him  as  a  thief 
and  a  liar  was  terrible.  She  felt  that  she  could 
never  look  fairly  into  his  face  again. 

"  What  is  going  on  here  ?  "  he  said  in  quite 
the  old,  cheery  way.  "  Have  you  come  to  a 
word  in  your  history  that  you  do  not  under- 
stand?" 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Mag,  timidly;  "  I  was  look- 
ing for  the  meaning  of  a  word  that  Norah 
uses." 

"  Norah !  I  have  a  fancy  that  she  may  use 
some  words  not  to  be  found  in  my  dictionary. 
Did  you  discover  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  is  there ;  but  " 

"  But  what  ? "  asked  young  Ainsworth 
kindly,  as  he  sat  down  in  the  large  rocking- 
chair  that  Mag  had  drawn  up  ready  for  him, 
and  held  out  his  hand  for  the  dictionary. 
"  Show  it  to  me,  will  you  ?  and  tell  me  all 
about  it.  Dictionary  meanings  are  hard  to 
understand,  sometimes.  Could  you  make  it 
out?" 

91 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  No,  sir ;  I  don't  think  I  know  the  words  it 
uses." 

She  had  moved  toward  him  and  was  point- 
ing, with  a  finger  that  trembled,  at  the  word  in 
question. 

"  Hypocrite !  "  he  said  in  a  surprised  tone ; 
then  he  laughed.  "  So  Norah  has  been  calling 
some  one  a  hypocrite,  has  she?  Not  you,  I 
hope?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  me."  Mag's  voice  as  well  as  eyes 
were  full  of  tears. 

"  You  don't  say  so !  What  did  you  do  to 
make  her  use  such  large  words?  " 

"  I  don't  know  at  all ;  I  can't  understand 
what  it  means.  I  don't  know  that  first  word — 
that  '  feigns.'  " 

"  '  Feigns  '  ?  Let  me  see.  Oh,  well,  Mag,  it 
means  about  the  same  as  '  pretends,'  or  'makes 
believe/  You  certainly  know  how  to  make  be- 
lieve things.  Don't  you  ?  "  he  was  looking  at 
her  with  an  amused  smile  now.  He  was  think- 
ing of  the  parlor  visitor  who  sat  in  the  yellow 
chair. 

92 


"A  CRUMB  OF  COMFORT' 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir,"  said  Mag,  her  cheeks  aflame ; 
and  she  bent  over  and  read  the  sentence  once 
more  with  this  new  light  thrown  on  it. 

"  One  who  makes  believe  to  be  what  he  is 
not."  Did  Norah  mean  that  she  was  making 
believe  tell  the  truth?  Yes,  that  must  be  it; 
though  how  did  it  fit  her  hymn-singing? 
Mr.  Frederick  studied  the  troubled,  puzzled 
face. 

"Are  things  getting  clearer?"  he  asked. 
"  Suppose  you  tell  me  all  about  it  ?  " 

"  I — I  was — was  singing  a  hymn,"  stam- 
mered Mag.  "  I  mean  I  had  been,  just  before, 
and  she  said  I  was  a  hypocrite." 

"  That's  very  clear !  What  was  the  hymn  ? 
I  didn't  know  you  could  sing,  Mag.  What 
were  the  words  ?  " 

"  Do  you  mean  all  of  them,  sir?  " 

:f  Yes,  a  verse  of  it.  I  want  to  understand 
how  the  word  '  hypocrite  '  fitted  it." 

Thus  urged,  Mag  in  low  tones  that,  despite 
her  effort  at  self-control,  trembled  a  little, 
repeated  her  precious  words: 

93 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  Sought  and  chosen,  cleansed  and  polished, 

Purchased  with  transcendent  cost, 
Kept  in  his  own  royal  casket, 
Never,  never  to  be  lost." 

"  Upon  my  word !  "  exclaimed  the  audience, 
when  the  timid  little  voice  ceased.  "  I  should 
say  there  were  some  words  in  that  as  large  as 
those  in  the  dictionary.  Do  you  understand 
it?" 

"Oh,  yes,  sir;  well,  not  all  the  words;  but 
the  reading  that  came  first  made  them  plain. 
It  is  a  '  Little  Pillow/  you  know,  sir,  and  it  is 
about  jewels;  God's  jewels;  and  I'm  one;  he 
keeps  us  and  never  loses  one;  and  by  and  by 
he  will  send  for  me  " 

Mag's  voice  broke  entirely  at  that.  The 
lonely  little  girl  had  at  times  such  a  longing  to 
be  sent  for  as  Mr.  Fred  Ainsworth  would  have 
found  it  hard  to  understand.  He  remained  si- 
lent for  a  minute  or  two  then  cleared  his  throat 
suspiciously  as  he  said : 

"  So  Norah  thought  because  you  sang  that 
hymn  you  were  a  hypocrite!  Well,  I  don't 

94 


"A  CRUMB  OF  COMFORT" 

agree  with  her.  She  was  probably  mis- 
taken." 

But  Mag's  cheeks  flamed  into  color  again, 
Mr.  Frederick  did  not  understand.  Norah  had 
reasons  for  thinking  that  she  was  making  be- 
lieve what  she  was  not ;  and,  to  be  true  to  her, 
he  must  be  told  the  whole  story.  It  was  exactly 
what  he  wanted.  He  meant  to  catch  her  with 
guile. 

"  I  see !  "  he  said,  nodding  gravely.  "  I  don't 
wonder  you  were  frightened  at  being  spoken 
to  in  just  that  way;  but,  Mag,  let  me  ask  you, 
wouldn't  it  be  the  wise  and  honest  thing  now 
for  you  to  go  quietly  to  Mrs.  Perkins  and  ex- 
plain to  her  how  Norah  frightened  you  into  it, 
and  tell  her  you  are  sorry  you  took  the  raisins, 
and  don't  mean  to  do  so  any  more  ?  She  won't 
be  hard  on  you;  and  I  don't  think  she  will  let 
Norah  bother  you  about  it  after  that.  Besides, 
that  will  prove  to  Norah  that  you  don't  mean  to 
be  a  hypocrite ;  don't  you  see  ?  " 

He  waited  eagerly  for  her  answer.  He  be- 
lieved himself  to  have  been  very  wise.  He  had 

95 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

not  accused  the  poor  little  ignorant  thing,  and 
so  frightened  her  into  deeper  sin,  but  had  just 
taken  it  for  granted  that  she  had  swallowed  the 
raisins,  and  that  there  was  a  chance  for  her  to 
be  forgiven  and  start  afresh.  There  was  no 
lighting  up  of  the  sorrowful  little  face,  and  the 
great  brown  eyes  that  were  raised  to  his  were 
full  of  sadness,  not  to  say  reproach. 

"  I  can't  do  that,  Mr.  Frederick,"  she  said 
simply,  "  because  it  wouldn't  be  the  truth.  You 
don't  think  I  would  tell  a  lie,  do  you  ?  I  didn't 
do  that  before  I  knew  that  God  cared  about  me 
at  all;  and,  of  course,  I  couldn't  after  I  found 
that  out.  I  didn't  touch  a  raisin ;  not  a  raisin ! 
That  is  what  makes  it  so  hard.  I  don't  hardly 
see  how  they  can  believe  me;  because  the 
bowl  was  full — I  saw  it;  and  it  wasn't  more 
than  half  full  when  Norah  came  back;  and 
there  wasn't  anybody  in  the  room  but  me;  and 
yet  I  never  so  much  as  touched  them !  " 

The  door-bell  rang  while  she  was  getting  off 
these  earnest  sentences,  and  Mag  had  to  run. 
Frederick  Ainsworth  looked  after  her  with  a 

96 


«A  CRUMB  OF  COMFORT'1 

curious,  tender  light  in  his  eyes  and  a  smile 
on  his  face. 

"  I  believe  you,"  he  said  earnestly.  "  You 
didn't  so  much  as  touch  one;  I'd  stake  my 
honor  on  it.  Poor  little  mouse !  I  wish  I  could 
prove  your  innocence  in  some  way." 

Then  he  remembered  that  he  had  not 
thought  to  ask  her  how  the  history  of  England 
was  getting  on;  and  watched  for  her  to  come 
back;  but  the  door-bell  kept  ringing  and  ring- 
ing; and  presently  the  dinner-bell  rang,  and  he 
saw  no  more  of  Mag  that  night. 

He  did  not  know  how  much  his  kind  words 
and  pleasant,  friendly  manner  had  comforted 
her.  But  if  the  poor  little  girl  had  known  what 
seas  of  trouble  were  preparing  to  roll  over  her 
the  very  next  day,  she  would  hardly  have  gone 
to  her  bed  with  such  a  thankful  feeling  at  her 
heart  over  the  thought  that  Mr.  Frederick  had 
looked  as  though  he  did  truly  believe  what  she 
said. 

Before  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning  all  the 
comfort  to  be  got  from  this  thought  was  gone. 

97 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

Mrs.  Perkins,  in  her  haste  to  have  the  morning 
work  done,  had  either  forgotten  that  she  did 
not  mean  to  send  Mag  to  the  boarders'  rooms, 
or  else  she  had  decided  that  it  was  unnecessary 
to  give  herself  any  more  trouble  in  order  to 
teach  the  child  a  lesson.  The  truth  was  that 
Mrs.  Perkins,  although  she  believed  that  Mag 
had  eaten  her  raisins,  had  no  more  fear  of  her 
touching  the  belongings  of  the  boarders  than 
she  had  of  doing  it  herself. 

"  All  youngsters  will  help  themselves  to 
things  to  eat,"  she  said  to  her  oldest  daughter, 
"  and,  for  that  matter,  folks  that  are  old  enough 
to  know  better  will  do  the  same;  I  never  had  a 
servant  in  my  life  that  I  didn't  have  to  watch 
about  such  things;  they  don't  call  it  stealing; 
but  as  for  Mag  taking  money,  or  ribbons,  or 
anything  of  that  kind,  I  don't  believe  she  would 
for  the  world.  I  told  her  I  wouldn't  trust  her 
in  the  rooms;  but  that  was  to  give  her  a  good 
scare,  and  teach  her  a  lesson." 

Before  Mag  had  finished  her  breakfast  Mrs. 
Perkins  came  to  her  with  orders. 

98 


"A  CRUMB  OF  COMFORT" 

"  Mag,  Miss  Ordway  wants  her  room  done 
up  while  she  is  gone  to  the  corner  on  an  er- 
rand ;  and  Jane  is  never  going  to  get  around  in 
that  time.  You  rush  right  up  and  make  the 
bed,  and  dust,  and  put  things  straight.  It 
doesn't  need  much,  for  there  was  thorough 
work  done  there  yesterday.  Fly  around  now  so 
as  to  be  out  of  her  way ;  she  wants  to  get  at  her 
painting  early." 

Mag  went  with  a  grateful  heart.  In  spite  of 
raisins  she  was  to  be  trusted ;  and  in  Miss  Ord- 
way's  room,  too.  Miss  Ordway  was  the  new 
boarder  who  was  said  to  have  such  lovely  jew- 
els. Mag  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  her  room 
once  since  she  came,  and  had  found  it  hung 
with  the  loveliest  little  paintings!  She  had 
heard  a  boarder  say  that  they  were  Miss  Ord- 
way's  own  work.  What  if  she  should  some 
day  actually  see  her  making  a  flower ! 

Her  small  brown  fingers  worked  nimbly  that 
morning.  The  bed  was  carefully  made,  the 
room  dusted,  the  shades  drawn  to  just  the  right 
height,  the  open  grate  fire  made  to  glow,  and 

99 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

the  perfection  of  neatness  reigned,  when  Miss 
Ordway  returned,  just  as  Mag,  duster  and 
hearth-brush  in  hand,  was  ready  to  depart. 

"  So  this  is  the  fairy  who  has  done  my  room 
so  nicely,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  looking  about 
her  with  a  pleased  air.  "  You  look  small  and 
weak  for  such  work,  child ;  but  you  do  it  much 
better  than  Jane  did  the  other  day.  I  think  I 
shall  have  to  ask  Mrs.  Perkins  to  let  you  be  my 
little  maid.  Jane  is  a  clumsy  creature  to  have 
among  paint-brushes.  I  see  you  have  not  med- 
dled with  those;  that  is  right.  Do  you  like 
flowers?  Come  here  and  I'll  show  you  some 
pansies  that  are  almost  alive." 

She  threw  a  light  covering  from  an  easel 
that  stood  in  the  corner  with  a  placard  pinned 
on  it  saying  "  Not  to  be  touched !  "  and  brought 
to  view  some  of  the  loveliest  yellow  and  laven- 
der pansies  that  Mag  believed  the  world  con- 
tained. The  little  scream  of  delight  quickly 
suppressed  for  fear  it  was  not  proper,  and  the 
clasping  of  her  small  brown  hands  in  silent 
ecstasy,  seemed  to  please  Miss  Ordway. 

100 


"  You  like  them,  don't  you  ? "  she  asked. 
"  I  thought  you  would.  You  shall  see  them 
grow.  It  is  great  fun  to  sit  in  a  room  in  mid- 
winter and  watch  flowers  grow ;  did  you  know 
it  ?  Would  you  like  to  do  my  room  every  morn- 
ing? Then  we'll  ask  Mrs.  Perkins  to  make 
that  arrangement."  That  was  at  fifteen  min- 
utes past  nine.  While  the  kitchen  clock  was 
striking  ten,  Mag  was  summoned  in  Mrs.  Per- 
kins's sharpest  tone,  through  the  speaking-tube, 
to  "  come  this  instant  to  Miss  Ordway's 
room ! " 


101 


CHAPTER  VII 

A  SEA  OF  TROUBLE 

"""HAT    have    you    done    with    that 


W 


ring?"  This  was  the  first  bewil- 
dering sentence  that  Mrs.  Per- 
kins hurled  at  Mag,  her  eyes  glaring  the  while 
as  though  they  would  burn  her. 

Mag  could  only  repeat  in  a  frightened  way 
the  single  word :  "  Ring !  " 

"  Yes,  ring.  Miss  Ordway's  diamond  ring, 
that  she  left  on  her  bureau,  and  that  has  dis- 
appeared, and  not  a  soul  except  you  has  been 
in  the  room  since  it  was  put  there.  If  I  had 
only  sent  Jane,  as  I  ought  to  have  done,  instead 
of  trusting  you !  " 

"  O  Mrs.  Perkins !  "  said  Mag :  "  indeed,  in- 
deed !  "  and  then,  the  full  measure  of  her  sor- 
row and  danger  overwhelming  her,  the  little 
girl  burst  into  a  perfect  storm  of  tears. 

"  There  is  no  use  in  your  crying  and  howl- 

IO2 


A  SEA  OF  TROUBLE 

ing,"  declared  Mrs.  Perkins,  too  angry  now  to 
try  to  control  herself ;  "  tell  me  just  where  you 
have  hid  that  ring, — you  haven't  had  time  to 
make  away  with  it,  that  is  some  comfort, — and 
then  off  to  prison  you  go  as  fast  as  a  policeman 
can  take  you.  Miserable  little  thief  that  you 
are !  to  go  and  steal,  after  all  that  I  have  done 
for  you." 

"  Mrs.  Perkins,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  com- 
ing forward,  "  let  me  talk  to  the  child,  please. 
She  is  so  frightened  that  she  can  not  say  any- 
thing. My  poor  little  girl  " — she  bent  over 
Mag  as  she  spoke,  and  even  laid  a  hand  on  the 
trembling  little  arm — a  kind  hand — "  I  can  not 
think  that  you  meant  to  take  the  ring ;  perhaps 
you  were  only  looking  at  it  when  I  startled  you 
by  coming  in ;  and  then  you  slipped  it  into  your 
pocket  until  you  could  have  a  chance  to  put  it 
back.  Isn't  that  it  ?  Let  me  tell  you  about  the 
ring.  It  cost  a  great  deal  of  money,  but  that 
is  not  its  greatest  value.  It  was  given  to  me 
by  my  dear,  dear  mother  just  before  she  died. 
I  was  to  wear  it  always  for  her  sake ;  and  1  do 

103 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

not  often  have  it  off  my  finger.  I  would  not 
lose  it  for  anything  that  I  have  in  the  world; 
and  I  know  you  would  not  keep  me  from  hav- 
ing it,  would  you  ?  " 

Mag  was  crying  bitterly  all  the  while,  but  her 
sobs  grew  less  heavy  while  she  listened  to  the 
low,  gentle  words.  The  moment  Miss  Ordway 
stopped,  she  burst  forth : 

"  I  wouldn't  have  taken  away  your  ring  for 
anything  in  the  world.  I  don't  steal ;  Mrs.  Per- 
kins thinks  I  do,  but  I  don't.  And  I  didn't  see 
your  ring,  Miss  Ordway.  I  saw  it  shining  on 
your  finger  once,  but  I  mean  I  did  not  see  it  in 
this  room." 

"  Don't  waste  any  more  words  with  her, 
Miss  Ordway,"  said  Mrs.  Perkins,  in  her  hard- 
est tone.  "  The  child  is  evidently  a  skillful 
little  liar,  as  well  as  thief.  It  serves  me  right; 
I  ought  not  to  have  trusted  her.  She  stole 
raisins  from  me  the  other  day  and  told  an  up- 
and-down  falsehood  about  it;  but  I  confess  I 
didn't  think  she  would  take  anything  but  things 
to  eat.  I  will  send  for  a  policeman,  and  we'll 

104 


A  SEA  OF  TROUBLE 

have  her  things  searched  and  find  your  ring, 
unless  she  has  swallowed  it  as  she  did  the 
raisins.  She  will  have  to  be  sent  to  the  House 
of  Correction,  or  some  other  house !  I  can  not 
harbor  such  a  creature  any  longer,  I  know  that. 
I've  done  my  best  to  teach  her  what  was  right ; 
and  I  give  you  my  word  for  it,  Miss  Ordway, 
I  never  suspected  her  of  taking  so  much  as  a 
pin  until  the  other  night,  or  I  wouldn't  have 
had  her  around." 

"  And  you  say  she  has  been  with  you  for 
three  years  ?  "  said  Miss  Ordway.  "  It  doesn't 
seem  probable  that  she  should  begin  so  sud- 
denly to  be  untrustworthy,  does  it  ?  Isn't  there 
some  other  way  of  accounting  for  the  ring's 
disappearance  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  don't  know  what  way,  I  am  sure," 
said  Mrs.  Perkins.  "  You  say  you  left  it  on 
your  bureau,  and  to  my  certain  knowledge  there 
hasn't  a  soul  been  in  your  room  this  morning 
but  Mag.  Jane  was  downstairs  doing  a  very 
particular  piece  of  work,  and,  when  you  stop- 
ped and  said  you  wanted  your  room  early,  I 

105 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

told  Mag  to  come  right  up,  and  she  did.  Jane 
hadn't  been  upstairs  since  breakfast,  I  know; 
and  I  suppose  your  room  was  locked  while  you 
were  out  of  it  last  night,  wasn't  it  ?  " 

;<  Yes,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  but  she  spoke  as 
though  she  was  sorry  to  have  to  admit  it. 

"  I  locked  the  room,  I  am  sure,  because  I 
remembered  your  requesting  me  to  do  so,  and 
went  back  to  attend  to  it  after  I  had  gone  half 
way  downstairs." 

"  I  always  ask  the  boarders  to  keep  their 
rooms  locked,"  explained  Mrs.  Perkins,  "  ex- 
cept in  the  morning  when  the  room  work  is 
being  done;  then  I  plan  to  be  around  myself, 
and  see  that  everything  goes  straight.  I  was 
just  coming  up  this  morning,  to  look  after  Mag, 
when  I  saw  you  come  in.  I  calculate  to  keep 
only  honest  help  about  me,  and  I  haven't  a  girl 
now  that  I  wouldn't  trust  with  anything  I've 
got;  but  then,  in  a  boarding-house  like  mine, 
I'd  rather  have  the  doors  kept  locked  when 
people  are  out,  and  get  rid  of  some  of  the  re- 
sponsibility. And  since  you  are  sure  that  the 

1 06 


A  SEA  OF  TROUBLE 

ring  was  on  the  bureau,  and  it  isn't  there  now, 
I  don't  know  what  else  there  is  to  think." 

"  The  last  recollection  I  have  of  it  is  putting 
it  on  the  bureau  last  night  just  before  dinner," 
said  Miss  Ordway,  still  in  the  regretful  tone. 
"  I  had  been  using  some  paint  that  I  was  afraid 
might  dull  the  gold,  and  I  slipped  it  off  just  be- 
side the  cushion,  intending  to  put  it  on  again  as 
soon  as  I  was  dressed.  But  I  noticed  at  dinner 
that  I  had  forgotten  it.  And  to  think  that  I 
forgot  it  again,  and  only  noticed  its  absence 
this  morning  when  I  sat  down  to  work !  I  can 
not  imagine  how  I  could  have  been  so  careless 
of  my  mother's  gift !  " 

"  It's  too  bad !  "  said  Mrs.  Perkins,  sympa- 
thetically ;  "  but  then,  as  I  say,  we'll  be  sure  to 
find  it.  The  creature  can  not  have  made  away 
with  it.  She  went  straight  to  the  kitchen,  and 
has  been  there  under  Norah's  eye  ever  since. 
If  the  miserable  little  wretch  would  only  tell 
what  she  has  done  with  it,  it  would  save  us  a 
good  deal  of  trouble.  She  hasn't  a  pocket  in 
that  dress,  so  she  must  have  tucked  it  away 

107 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

under  something;  but,  of  course,  we'll  find  it. 
I  haven't  any  hope  of  her  confessing,  because 
she  was  so  brazen  about  the  raisins,  though  I 
promised  to  hush  it  all  up  and  try  her  again,  if 
she  would  just  say  that  she  had  taken  them." 

"  Mrs.  Perkins,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  taking  a 
sudden  resolution,  "  would  you  mind  my  talk- 
ing to  the  child  alone  for  a  few  minutes  ?  She 
looks  like  such  a  timid  creature  that  I  think  she 
may,  perhaps,  be  too  frightened  to  realize  what 
she  is  saying.  If  I  could  talk  with  her  quietly 
I  might  "— 

Mrs.  Perkins  interrupted  her  with  a  grim 
laugh. 

"  You  and  Mr.  Fred  Ainsworth  must  look 
upon  me  as  a  kind  of  ogre !  "  she  said.  "  He 
had  a  notion  that  Mag  had  been  scared  into 
telling  lies.  I'm  sure  I  never  meant  to  eat  her 
up  for  stealing  my  raisins.  But  I'm  entirely 
willing  to  let  you  talk  to  her  just  as  much  as 
you  please.  If  you  can  bring  her  to  reason,  so 
much  the  less  trouble  for  me.  I've  got  plenty 
of  business  to  attend  to  this  morning.  When 

108 


A  SEA  OF  TROUBLE 

you  want  me  you  can  just  step  to  the  hall  and 
call  me  at  the  speaking-tube." 

As  the  door  closed  after  her  Miss  Ordway 
turned  to  Mag,  who  had  ceased  crying  entirely, 
and  sat  a  forlorn  little  heap  on  the  hearth-rug, 
with  her  face  quite  hidden  in  the  folds  of  the 
big  kitchen  apron  that  covered  her  from  head  to 
foot. 

"  My  poor  little  girl ! "  said  Miss  Ordway, 
"  I  don't  want  to  be  hard  on  you,  indeed  I 
don't.  And  I  don't  want  any  one  else  to  be.  I 
can  see  how  suddenly  you  may  have  been 
tempted,  and  now  you  feel,  perhaps,  that  the 
only  way  is  to  insist  upon  what  you  have  al- 
ready said.  But  there  could  not  be  a  worse 
road  than  that.  Nobody  ever  found  the  way 
back  by  persisting  in  going  on  in  the  same 
road,  after  learning  that  it  was  the  wrong  one. 
Mag,  if  you  will  tell  me  where  the  ring  is,  or 
if 'you  lost  it,  or  threw  it  out  of  the  window, 
and  do  not  know  where  it  is,  and  will  tell  me  the 
truth,  I  will  see  to  it  that  you  are  not  sent  to 
prison,  and  I  will  help  you  all  I  can." 

109 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

She  waited  in  silence  for  some  minutes  for 
this  appeal  to  be  answered;  Mag,  meantime, 
stirring  neither  hand  nor  foot,  nor  in  any  way 
showing  that  she  had  even  heard  her.  Sud- 
denly the  child  dropped  the  apron  that  was  hid- 
ing her  face  and  looked  up  at  the  lady  beside 
her. 

"  Miss  Ordway,"  she  said,  "  do  you  know 
God?" 

Miss  Ordway  was  very  much  startled;  it 
was  such  a  different  sentence  from  what  she 
had  expected  to  hear. 

"  Do  I  know  him  ?  "  she  repeated.  "  Why, 
of  course,  child.  What  do  you  mean  ?  Every 
one  knows  him ;  at  least,  in  this  country." 

"  Oh,  but  I  mean  in  a  different  way  from 
that.  I  was  thinking  about  his  jewels.  '  Every 
one  that  feared  the  Lord  and  thought  upon  his 
name,'  he  made  into  his  jewels,  you  know. 
What  I  mean  is  that  I  am  one  of  them.  He 
loves  me,  and  has  called  me;  I  fear  the  Lord 
and  think  upon  his  name,  and  he  has  made  me 
his  jewel,  and  I  am  to  be 

no 


A  SEA  OF  TROUBLE 

'  Kept  in  his  own  royal  casket, 
Never,  never  to  be  lost.' 

Do  you  think,  after  that,  that  I  would  take 
anybody's  jewel,  or  tell  what  was  not  true  about 
it  for  the  world  ?  I  used  to  be  dreadfully  lone- 
some and  sorrowful,  and  have  no  friends.  But 
Mr.  Frederick  gave  me  '  Little  Pillows '  for  a 
Christmas  present,  and  there  I  found  things 
that  I  never  knew  before.  There  it  said, 
'  Come  unto  me,  ye  that  are  weary/  and  '  Suf- 
fer little  children  to  come ; '  and  it  said,  '  Jesus 
calls  you  this  very  night ; '  and  it  told  me  to 
stretch  out  my  hand  and  say,  '  I  am  coming, 
Lord  Jesus,'  and  I  did ;  and  he  took  me,  and  I 
have  been  one  of  his  jewels  ever  since.  Do  you 
know  him  that  way,  Miss  Ordway?  And  do 
you  suppose  one  of  his  children  would  tell  a  lie 
about  anything?  I  did  not  take  Mrs.  Perkins's 
raisins ;  I  did  not  so  much  as  touch  them ;  and 
I  did  not  see  your  ring.  Can't  you  believe 
me?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  earnestly;   "  I  do 
believe  you,  child;  and  I  declare  I  will,  how- 

iii 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

ever  much  the  circumstances  may  be  against 
you.  I  wouldn't  have  lost  my  ring  for  a  great 
deal  and  I  can  not  account  for  it;  but  I  don't 
believe  you  know  anything  about  it.  Do  you 
think  it  may  be  possible  that  your  duster 
whisked  it  into  the  grate,  Mag?  I  never 
thought  of  that;  perhaps  that  is  exactly  what 
happened." 

Mag  shook  her  head  sorrowfully.  "  No, 
ma'am,"  she  said,  "  I  don't  think  any  such 
thing  could  have  happened;  not  when  I  was 
dusting.  I  was  very,  very  careful;  I  took  up 
everything  one  by  one,  and  laid  it  down  again 
so  as  to  be  sure  to  get  them  in  the  places  where 
they  belonged.  But  I  will  pick  every  piece  of 
coal  out  of  the  grate,  as  soon  as  the  fire  is 
down,  and  look  in  the  ashes,  and  everywhere, 
Oh,  I  hope  you  can  find  it,  Miss  Ordway!  I 
haven't  got  anything  of  my  mother's.  Is  that 
the  only  thing  you  had  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no !  "  said  Miss  Ordway.  "  I  have  a 
great  many  things  of  hers  besides;  but  that 
was  very  precious.  Well,  I  wonder  what  I  can 

112 


A  SEA  OF  TROUBLE 

do  for  you  ?  How  shall  we  convince  Mrs.  Per- 
kins that  you  know  nothing  about  that 
ring?" 

Mag's  grave  little  face  grew  graver.  "  I  don't 
know,"  she  said  sorrowfully.  "  I  don't  think 
she  can  believe  it.  It  is  very  strange  about  the 
raisins.  I  saw  the  bowl  full,  and  when  Norah 
came  back  it  was  only  half  full;  and  nobody 
was  there  but  me.  She  couldn't  hardly  help 
believing  that  I  took  them;  could  she?  " 

Despite  her  loss  and  anxiety,  Miss  Ordway 
was  obliged  to  laugh.  "  You  are  the  queerest 
little  girl  I  ever  heard  of !  "  she  said.  "  Here 
you  are  arguing  the  case  against  yourself. 
Does  Mrs.  Perkins  know  about  the  jewels  ?  " 

"  What  jewels,  ma'am  ?  " 

"  Why,  the  ones  you  have  been  describing  to 
me?  Did  you  tell  her  you  were  a  jewel  your- 
self, and  were  '  never,  never  to  be  lost?  ' 

Mag  shook  her  head.  "  No,  ma'am,  I  didn't 
tell  her.  I  thought,  perhaps,  she  would  not 
understand  what  I  meant.  She  doesn't  know 
God  in  that  way,  I  think.  A  great  many 

"3 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

grown  people  do  not.  I  asked  Mr.  Frederick, 
and  he  said  that  the  world  was  full  of  folks  that 
hadn't  paid  any  attention  to  God  calling  them, 
and  so  missed  knowing  him.  Mrs.  Perkins 
makes  me  think  that  she  hasn't." 

Miss  Ordway  turned  away  her  face  to  hide 
a  smile.  She  could  not  but  feel  that  the  wise- 
eyed  little  girl  was  judging  Mrs.  Perkins  cor- 
rectly ;  and  she  could  not  help  wishing  the  child 
need  not  know  that  she,  too,  was  one  of  those 
who  had  "  paid  no  attention  to  God  calling 
her." 

"  Who  is  Mr.  Frederick  ?  "  she  asked,  by 
way  of  changing  the  subject. 

"  He  is  a  boarder,  ma'am ;  he  has  the  room 
opposite  the  parlors;  and  he  is  very  good  to 
me.  He  gave  me  my  Christmas  present." 

"  Your  '  Christmas  present ' !    Which  one?  " 

"  I  never  had  but  one,  ma'am ;  just  my  little 
book ;  and  I  love  it  dearly.  It  is  my  '  Little 
Pillows,'  where  I  learned  what  I  have  been 
telling  you.  Oh,  and  he  lent  me  a  book,  too ; 
the  History  of  England;  and  I  am  reading  in 

114 


A  SEA  OF  TROUBLE 

it  every  day.  Mr.  Frederick  has  been  kinder 
to  me  than  anybody  ever  was  before." 

"  And  you  never  had  but  one  Christmas  pres- 
ent? You  poor  little  mouse!  This  'Mr. 
Frederick/  as  you  call  him,  is  a  mere  boy,  isn't 
he  ?  Does  he  sit  next  to  Miss  Annie  at  table  ?  " 

"  Yes,  ma'am ;  oh,  no,  ma'am,  he  is  a  young 
man;  and  he  knows  a  great  deal,  and  has  lots 
of  books;  he  studies  late  at  night  sometimes; 
and  he  is  very  good  to  me." 

Miss  Ordway  laughed.  "  I  don't  believe  he 
is  many  years  older  than  you  are,  child,"  she 
said ;  "  but,  no  matter,  he  knows  how  to  be 
good  to  a  little  girl,  it  seems.  That  is  more 
than  some  older  people  know.  Let  me  think 
what  we  would  better  do.  If  I  were  you,  I 
would  go  back  to  my  work  just  as  though  noth- 
ing had  happened.  I  will  see  Mrs.  Perkins 
and  ask  her  if  she  will  let  you,  and,  in  the  mean- 
time, you  and  I  will  look  everywhere  for  that 
ring  and  see  if  we  can  not  find  it.  I  will  let 
the  grate  fire  go  down,  and,  when  it  is  out,  you 
can  look  in  the  ashes,  as  you  said;  and  we'll 

"5 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

hunt  under  the  sofa,  and  chairs,  and  in  all 
imaginable  places.     I  think  we  shall  find  it." 

"  You  are  very,  very  good,"  said  Mag  ear- 
nestly ;  "  and,  Miss  Ordway,  wouldn't  it  be 
right  to  ask  God  to  help  me  find  it?  " 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  stopping 
short  and  giving  the  child  a  curious  look. 

"  I'm  'most  sure  it  would,"  said  Mag 
gravely;  "  because,  when  he  called  me  to  come 
to  him,  and  took  me,  and  made  me  his  jewel, 
why  he  loves  me  enough  to  want  to  help  me 
about  everything.  Shouldn't  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  It  looks  reasonable,"  said  Miss  Ordway, 
trying  not  to  smile. 

•  "  I  mean  to  ask  him,"  said  Mag.  "  It  can't 
be  too  small  a  thing  to  talk  to  him  about,  be- 
cause it  is  a  very,  very  big  thing  to  me,  and  so  it 
is  to  you,  isn't  it?  But,  oh,  isn't  it  strange 
where  it  can  be  ?  " 

The  door-bell  rang  at  that  moment,  and 
Mag,  consulting  with  Miss  Ordway,  decided  to 
answer  it  just  as  usual.  As  she  went  out  of 
the  room  Miss  Ordway  thought : 

116 


A  SEA  OF  TROUBLE 

"  That  is  either  the  most  complete  little  hypo- 
crite that  I  ever  heard  of,  or  else  she  is  an 
unusually  honest  and  interesting  child.  I  mean 
to  seek  the  acquaintance  of  the  boy,  Frederick, 
of  whom  she  thinks  so  much,  and  see  what  his 
opinion  is.  Meantime,  I  must  find  Mrs.  Per- 
kins and  beg  for  a  flag  of  truce.  The  child 
shall  not  be  carried  off  to  prison,  anyway." 


117 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THINGS  "  WORKING  TOGETHER  " 

MAG  JESSUP  was  dusting  Miss  Kate 
Perkins's  room.  It  was  several  days 
since  the  disappearance  of  the  ring, 
yet  Mag  was  still  slipping  about  the  house  in 
a  scared  way  that  went  to  the  hearts  of  her 
friends.  What  with  Miss  Ordway,  and  Fred- 
erick Ainsworth,  and  her  daughter  Kate, 
Mrs.  Perkins  declared  she  was  at  "  her  wits' 
ends."  Her  first  feeling  had  been,  as  she  said, 
to  "pack  Mag  off  to  prison,"  but  Miss 
Ordway  would  not  hear  to  any  such  thing; 
moreover,  Mr.  Frederick,  when  he  learned 
what  had  happened,  sneered  at  the  whole 
story,  and  declared  that  they  might  as  well 
accuse  him  of  stealing  a  ring  as  to  accuse  lit- 
tle Mag.  He  was  as  certain  that  she  did  not 
take  it  as  though  he  had  been  in  the  room  with 
her  all  the  time.  Mrs.  Perkins  left  them  both, 

118 


THINGS  "WORKING  TOGETHER" 

at  last,  in  disgust,  and  went  upstairs,  only  to 
find  her  daughter  Kate  fully  as  positive  as  the 
others. 

"  Of  course,  she  didn't  take  it,  mother,  how 
absurd  in  that  woman  to  accuse  her !  " 

"  Look  here,  Kate,"  said  her  mother,  "  have 
a  little  common  sense,  can't  you?  Don't  I  tell 
you  that  the  ring  is  gone,  and  that  she  was  the 
only  person  in  the  room,  between  the  hours 
that  it  must  have  been  taken?  Except  your- 
self, indeed;  I  remember  now  that  I  sent  you 
up  with  Miss  Ordway's  letters.  If  you  keep 
declaring  that  you  know  Mag  didn't  touch  the 
ring,  the  next  thing  you  may  be  suspected  your- 
self. How  should  you  like  that  ?" 

Kate  Perkins  laughed.  She  was  so  far  above 
suspicion  that  such  a  thought  could  be  only 
amusing. 

"  It  would  be  quite  as  sensible  as  the  other 
idea,"  she  said.  "  Only  think  of  it,  mother, 
here  Mag  has  been  in  our  house  for  three  years. 
We  have  had  boarders  all  the  time,  and  she  has 
been  in  and  out  of  their  rooms  as  freely  as  we 

119 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

have,  and  has  had  a  hundred  chances  to  help 
herself  to  all  sorts  of  trinkets,  and  was  never 
known  to  touch  so  much  as  a  pin  that  didn't  be- 
long to  her.  She  is  even  silly  about  it.  She 
has  come  and  asked  me  dozens  of  times  if  she 
might  have  a  pin,  when  there  was  the  cushion 
right  before  her,  and  she  could  have  helped 
herself.  Does  it  look  reasonable  that  all  of  a 
sudden  she  should  steal  a  diamond  ring  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Mrs.  Perkins,  "it  doesn't.  I 
should  be  the  last  one  to  accuse  her,  if  there 
was  anything  else  to  do;  and  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  the  raisins,  I  don't  suppose  I  would  have 
thought  of  it.  But,  Kate,  the  ring  is  gone. 
What  has  become  of  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  I  am  sure.  But,  look  here, 
mother,  you  know  I  didn't  take  it,  don't  you  ? 
If  forty  rings  were  gone  from  the  house,  you 
would  be  just  as  sure  as  you  are  now  that  I 
hadn't  stolen  them.  Why  can't  we  feel  the 
same  about  Mag?  She  has  certainly  always 
been  honest ;  as  honest  as  I  am.  I  don't  think 
her  taking  the  raisins  proves  anything.  No 

I2O 


THINGS  "WORKING  TOGETHER" 

body  calls  eating  a  few  raisins  stealing ;  Norah 
eats  them  herself  when  she  feels  like  it;  I've 
seen  her ;  and  Mag,  being  in  trouble  about  rais- 
ins, would  have  been  less  likely  than  at  any 
other  time  to  meddle  with  rings." 

"  Kate,"  said  her  mother,  with  severe  dig- 
nity, "  there  is  this  difference  between  you  and 
Mag:  if  you  had  touched  rings  or  raisins,  I 
believe  you  would  have  told  me  so.  But  what 
do  you  think  of  Mag's  denying  that  she  so 
much  as  touched  a  raisin  ?  " 

Whereupon  Kate,  the  champion,  looked  trou- 
bled. 

"  That  is  bad,"  she  said.  "  I  did  not  believe 
that  Mag  Jessup  would  tell  what  wasn't  true. 
I  thought  she  was  to  be  trusted.  You  know 
what  she  did  about  going  for  that  ride  on 
Christmas  Day?  But  she  is  an  awfully  scared 
little  thing,  and  I  suppose  Norah  just  scared 
her  into  a  lie,  before  she  thought  what  she  was 
saying." 

Mrs.  Perkins  turned  away  impatiently. 

"  Scared  her  into  it !  "  she  repeated  contemp- 

121 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

tuously.  "  I  suppose  she  was  afraid  Norah 
would  eat  her!  You  talk  as  foolishly  as  all 
the  others.  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  what  to  do 
with  her.  I  can't  have  her  running  to  the 
boarders'  rooms,  and  they  missing  things." 

"  I'm  not  afraid  of  her  in  my  room,"  de- 
clared Miss  Kate ;  "  even  though  she  has  told 
a  lie,  I  would  be  willing  to  leave  my  pocket- 
book  open  on  the  bureau,  and  feel  sure  that 
it  wouldn't  be  touched.  Nothing  can  make  me 
believe  that  Mag  Jessup  will  steal." 

Mrs.  Perkins  had  finally  gone  away  feeling 
more  perplexed  than  ever,  and  half  inclined  to 
be  vexed  with  her  daughter  Kate  for  insisting 
on  Mag's  innocence.  This  conversation,  how- 
ever, resulted  in  making  her  conclude  to  wait 
for  a  day  or  two  before  taking  any  decided 
steps  about  Mag;  and,  in  the  meantime,  to  put 
her  under  Kate's  special  charge,  with  instruc- 
tions that  she  look  after  her  sharply  out  of 

school  hours. 

For  this  reason,  Kate's  room,  which  she  was 
supposed  to  care  for  herself,  was  having  an 

122 


unusually  thorough  dusting.  Miss  Annie  Per- 
kins was  away  from  home  on  a  visit,  and  Kate 
had  the  room  to  herself. 

Mag  looked  up  with  a  startled,  half-fright- 
ened air  as  Kate  entered  suddenly.  She  had 
not  been  out  of  the  room  five  minutes,  but 
something  in  Mag's  manner  troubled  her.  The 
child  certainly  acted  like  one  who  had  some- 
thing to  conceal.  She  sprang  back  from  the 
bureau  as  Kate  entered,  her  cheeks  painfully 
red,  and  the  hand  that  held  her  duster  trembled. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Kate,  and  she 
could  not  keep  her  voice  from  sounding  sharp; 
"  what  have  you  been  doing  to  my  bureau?  " 

"  Oh,  Miss  Kate !  "  said  Mag,  in  a  voice  that 
trembled,  "  I  hope  you  will  not  care.  I  turned 
the  leaf  back  to  just  where  it  was  before.  I 
was  looking  at  your  Bible,  and  I  saw  such  a 
strange  verse  that  before  I  thought  I  turned 
over  the  leaf  and  looked  at  the  end  of  it.  And 
I  had  told  myself  but  a  minute  before  that  I 
wouldn't  touch  a  thing  on  that  bureau,  because 
you  said  you  didn't  want  it  dusted." 

123 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

Kate  laughed.  "  What  an  absurd  girl  you 
are !  "  she  said.  "  Why  shouldn't  you  look  at 
an  open  Bible  if  you  want  to?  If  I  were  you, 
I  would  try  to  get  over  that  habit  of  starting 
and  trembling  every  time  any  one  speaks  to 
you ;  it  makes  you  look  as  though  you  had  done 
something  you  were  ashamed  of.  I've  got  to 
learn  a  selection  to  recite  in  chapel  to-morrow; 
that  is  the  reason  my  Bible  is  fastened  open. 
What  verse  did  you  find  that  was  so  strange  ?  " 

"  That  one,"  said  Mag,  pointing  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  page,  and  Kate,  looking,  read :  "  All 
things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that 
love  God."  "  That  is  a  common  enough  verse," 
she  said ;  "  I  learned  it  when  I  was  no  taller  than 
the  bureau.  What  is  there  startling  about 
it?" 

"  Oh,  Miss  Kate !  it  must  be  true ;  and  yet 
how  can  it  be?  I'm  one  of  them;  I  love  him 
and  how  could  it  ever  '  work  together  for  good  ' 
to  have  your  mother  and  other  people  think 
that  I  stole  and  told  lies?  " 

Kate  Perkins  laughed  again ;  but  she  looked 

124 


THINGS  "  WORKING  TOGETHER  " 

steadily  at  Mag  the  while,  as  though  she  would 
read  her  thoughts  if  she  could. 

"  Mag  Jessup,"  she  said  suddenly,  "  tell  me 
one  thing.  Did  you  eat  those  raisins,  or  didn't 
you?" 

"  I  never  did,"  said  Mag  solemnly.  "  I 
didn't  touch  them," 

"  Well,  I  believe  you,"  said  Kate,  with  a  de- 
termined air.  "  And  what  is  more,  I  mean  to, 
whatever  Norah  or  anybody  says.  As  to  its 
'  working  together  for  good,'  you  aren't  obliged 
to  understand  how  it  can  be,  you  know.  And 
the  verse  doesn't  say  how  long  it  will  take.  Per- 
haps some  time  you  will  find  out  that  it  really 
did  do  you  good  in  some  way." 

Mag  considered  this  for  a  few  minutes  with 
grave  thoughtfulness.  "  That  is  so,"  she  said 
at  last,  her  face  lighting.  "  I  may  have  to  wait 
until  I  am  an  old,  old  woman;  but  isn't  it 
beautiful  to  think  that  some  time  it  will 
come ! " 

Said  Kate :  "  You  are  the  queerest  girl  that 
was  ever  born,  I  do  believe !  "  What  this  had 

125 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

to  do  with  the  words  she  had  said,  Mag  did  not 
understand. 

Kate  set  her  charge  at  work,  ripping  the  skirt 
of  a  dress  that  was  to  be  made  over,  and  went 
to  her  mother's  room.  Mrs.  Perkins  was  sort- 
ing pillow-slips,  and  missing  some  that  ought  to 
be  there,  and  she  looked  tired  and  perplexed. 
Kate  entered  at  once  upon  a  description  of  the 
talk  she  had  been  having  with  Mag,  and  ended 
with :  "  I  don't  believe  now  that  she  touched  a 
raisin.  You  couldn't  have  believed  that  she 
did,  if  you  had  seen  her  face;  and,  if  I  were 
you,  I  should  just  make  Norah  tell  that  she  had 
swallowed  them  herself  and  then  accused 
Mag." 

Just  as  she  had  spoken  those  words  came  a 
knock  at  the  door  and  Norah's  strong  red  face 
appeared.  The  sight  made  Kate  Perkins's 
face  feel  red.  She  could  only  hope  that  her 
words  had  not  been  heard.  Whatever  Norah's 
faults — and  everybody  owned  that  she  had 
faults — during  the  seven  years  that  she  had 
spent  with  Mrs.  Perkins  they  had  learned  to 

126 


THINGS  "WORKING  TOGETHER" 

trust  her  word.  Her  tongue  might  be  sharp, 
but  it  was  honest. 

"Can  I  speak  to  you  a  minute,  ma'am?" 
was  Norah's  plea. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Perkins,  still  counting  her 
pillow-slips ;  "  speak  away ;  you  need  not  mind 
Miss  Kate." 

But  Norah  evidently  minded  Miss  Kate ;  her 
face  grew  redder  than  ever,  and  she  looked  as 
though  she  did  not  know  how  to  begin. 

"  It's  about  them  raisins,  ma'am,"  she  said, 
with 'an  embarrassed  laugh.  "  I  was  never  so 
beat  in  my  life,  I  am  sure.  You  see  it  was 
this  way.  Saturday  was  an  awful  flustery  day 
anyhow,  and  I  packed  that  bowl  full  of  raisins, 
thinking  I'd  make  raisin-cake.  Then,  when  I 
found  how  late  it  was  getting,  and  the  things 
not  come  yet  from  the  market,  I  allowed  that  I 
couldn't  do  it,  and  that  I'd  take  just  raisins 
enough  for  the  pudding,  and  make  white  cake; 
that  could  be  got  out  of  the  way  quicker.  So  I 
took  a  teacup  and  filled  it  with  the  stoned 
raisins,  and  put  it  up  behind  the  china  tea  set 

127 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

so  they  couldn't  be  picked  away.  Then  I  went 
out  and  found  that  that  heedless  Nancy  had  let 
the  water  boil  off  the  chickens  entirely,  and 
there  was  an  awful  time !  And  when  I  got  back 
to  the  pantry  I  had  clean  forgot  about  putting 
up  the  raisins,  and  so  I  pitched  into  that  young 
one.  And,  what  is  more,  I  haven't  thought  of 
them  from  that  hour  to  this,  until  just  now 
when  I  was  moving  the  china  teapot  to  make 
more  room;  and  when  I  come  upon  that  cup 
of  raisins  you  could  have  knocked  me  down 
with  a  feather !  " 

"  I  am  certainly  very  sorry ! "  began  Mrs. 
Perkins,  her  voice  all  but  drowned  by  Kate, 
who  clapped  her  hands  and  shouted :  "  Good ! 
good !  I  knew  Mag  didn't  touch  them." 

"  That  poor  child  has  had  a  good  deal  to 
bear,"  said  Mrs.  Perkins ;  "  I  supposed,  of 
course,  you  knew  what  you  were  about,  or  I 
should  not  have  accused  her  of  taking  them." 

"  Oh,  well,"  said  Norah,  growing  irritable, 
"  it  hasn't  kilt  her._  I  didn't  mean  no  harm, 
and  I  shall  tell  her  so.  Folks  can  forget  things 

128 


THINGS  "WORKING  TOGETHER" 

sometimes,  I  guess,  without  being  hung  for 
it." 

"  Oh,  of  course,"  Mrs.  Perkins  made  haste 
to  say.  Norah  was  much  too  valuable  a  cook 
for  a  woman  with  a  house  full  of  boarders  to 
quarrel  with.  "  Mag  will  be  glad  enough  to 
hear  that  the  raisins  are  found.  And  so  am  I, 
I  am  sure;  I  did  not  want  to  think  the  poor 
child  was  a  thief.  Though  the  raisins  are  the 
least  of  her  troubles,"  she  added,  after  Norah 
had  .closed  the  door  with  a  little  bang  and 
tramped  downstairs ;  "  if  the  ring  had  been 
found  instead  of  the  cup  of  raisins,  I  should 
be  more  glad." 

"  I  shouldn't,"  said  Kate  positively.  "  The 
raisins  were  the  first  things,  mother,  and  now 
that  they  are  found,  it  makes  it  all  the  clearer 
that  she  did  not  touch  the  ring.  I  don't  believe 
she  would  tell  the  least  little  bit  of  a  lie  to 
save  herself  from  going  off  with  a  policeman 
to  prison  this  minute;  and  she  is  nearly  scared 
out  of  her  senses  at  the  thought  of  it,  too." 

"  Mag  seems  to  have  bewitched  you,"  said 

129 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

Mrs.  Perkins.  The  next  moment  both  were 
startled  by  a  scream  that  seemed  to  come  from 
Miss  Ordway's  room. 

"  Dear  me !  "  said  Mrs.  Perkins,  "  what  has 
happened  now?  We  seem  to  have  all  sorts  of 
things  happening  to  us  nowadays.  Run,  Kate, 
and  see  what  is  the  matter." 

"It  is  nothing  dreadful,"  said  Kate;  "she 
screamed  as  though  she  was  surprised,  not 
frightened.  Mother,  she  is  coming  up-stairs." 

Sure  enough;  in  rushed  Miss  Ordway  at 
that  very  moment,  with  a  lovely  little  white 
wool  shawl  of  delicate  pattern  trailing  from 
her  left  shoulder. 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Perkins !  "  she  said,  "  how  sorry 
I  am ;  and  how  glad !  Where  is  that  poor  little 
mouse  of  a  Mag?  Come  here,  child,  this  min- 
ute ! "  as  Kate  Perkins's  door  across  the  hall  at 
that  moment  opened  and  Mag's  grave  little  face 
looked  out ;  "  come  and  see  what  a  wicked  girl 
I  have  been  to  have  thought  for  a  moment  that 
you  had  anything  to  do  with  my  missing  ring. 
Look !  here  is  the  thief." 

130 


THINGS  "WORKING  TOGETHER" 

As  she  spoke  she  held  up  an  end  of  the  white 
shawl,  and  there,  gleaming  from  one  of  the 
meshes,  lay  the  diamond  ring. 

"  I  had  the  shawl  on  that  very  evening,"  ex- 
plained Miss  Ordway.  "  I  remember  feeling 
a  trifle  chilly  because  I  had  put  on  a  thinner 
dress,  so  I  wore  the  wrap  down  to  dinner.  I 
laid  it  back  in  the  tray  of  the  trunk  that  night ; 
I  remember  thinking  that  it  was  so  very  easily 
soiled  that  I  would  not  leave  it  out,  but  would 
get  something  more  substantial;  and,  behold, 
that  naughty  ring  must  have  caught  hold  of  one 
of  the  loops  and  hidden  itself,  just  to  make 
trouble.  Poor  little  Mag!  your  pale  face  and 
red  eyes  have  kept  me  awake  nights,  though  I 
honestly  haven't  believed  that  you  had  anything 
to  do  with  the  ring's  disappearance  since  we 
had  our  talk  about  it.  Now  we  will  have  a 
jubilee  over  its  return.  Are  you  glad,  little 
girl?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am,"  said  Mag,  with  a  pale  little 
smile;  "  I'm  very  glad  that  you  have  your  ring 
again." 

131 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

In  her  heart  she  could  not  help  thinking  that 
one  might  almost  as  well  be  suspected  of  steal- 
ing a  ring  as  of  stealing  raisins.  The  ring  was 
safe,  but  she  was  thought  to  be  a  thief  all  the 
same.  Kate  Perkins,  who  was  beginning  to 
understand  the  queer  little  girl  whose  moods 
she  had  been  studying  for  the  last  few  days, 
said  suddenly : 

"  I  can  make  her  more  glad.  Mag,  what  do 
you  think?  the  raisins  have  been  found,  too! 
Norah  was  just  here  to  say  that  she  had  taken 
out  a  cupful  and  hidden  them  away,  and  then 
had  gone  off  and  forgotten  all  about  it,  until 
she  came  across  them  this  morning." 

Then  indeed  did  Mag's  wan  face  glow  and 
her  eyes  sparkle. 

"  Oh ! "  she  said,  clasping  her  small  brown 
hands,  "  isn't  that  just  too  good !  Oh,  Mrs. 
Perkins,  now  you  know  that  I  did  not  take 
them,  and  that  I  told  the  truth,  don't  you?  " 

"  Why,  yes,"  said  Mrs.  Perkins,  "  of  course. 
I  didn't  more  than  half  believe  you  took  them 
any  of  the  time.  I  told  Miss  Ordway 

132 


Miss  Ordway  gave  this  to  me,"  she  said. 


THINGS  "WORKING  TOGETHER" 

that  you  had  never  meddled  with  anything 
before." 

I  suppose  in  all  that  great  city  it  would  have 
been  hard  to  find  a  happier  little  girl  than  Mag 
Jessup  for  the  rest  of  that  day.  Even  Norah 
was  kind,  and  gave  her  a  slice  of  cake  stuffed 
full  of  raisins;  and  Mrs.  Perkins  herself  pre- 
pared her  dinner-plate  and  put  an  extra  slice  of 
turkey  on  it,  and  in  various  small  ways  showed 
that  she  wanted  to  atone  to  the  little  girl  for 
what  she  had  suffered.  It  was  to  Kate  Per- 
kins that  the  child  let  out  the  fullness  of  her 
joy. 

"  Oh,  Miss  Kate,"  she  called,  as  she  was 
toiling  up  the  stairs  that  evening,  and  saw  that 
young  lady  at  the  upper  landing,  "  can  you 
please  wait  just  a  minute?  I  want  to  show  you 
something.  What  do  you  think?  It  has 
'  worked  together  for  good  '  already.  I  didn't 
have  to  wait.  Everybody  is  so  kind  to  me ;  and 
look  at  this !  "  She  was  hugging  to  her  heart 
a  very  handsomely  bound  Bible  that  closed  with 
a  silver  clasp.  "  Miss  Ordway  gave  me  this 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

for  my  very  own !  "  she  said.  "  She  wrote  my 
name  in  it :  '  Margaret  Kane  Jessup.'  Isn't 
that  lovely?  Oh,  you  can't  think  how  glad  I 
am,  because,  you  know,  I  am  one  of  God's  serv- 
ants, and  this  is  the  Book  that  tells  them  what 
to  do.  I  did  not  see  how  to  manage  without 
having  one,  and  I  didn't  think  I  could  ever  get 
it;  it  is  so  big." 


134 


CHAPTER  IX 

DISCOVERIES 

ALL  this  time  Mag  Jessup,  despite  her 
many  troubles,  was  hard  at  work  over 
the  book  that  Fred  Ainsworth  had  lent 
her.  I  do  not  suppose  that  a  student  of  his- 
tory ever  worked  more  faithfully  than  did 
she.  She  had  a  way  of  studying  that 
many  little  girls  seem  to  know  nothing 
about.  She  would  not  leave  a  sentence,  if  she 
could  help  it,  until  she  understood  what  it 
meant.  Sometimes  this  made  hard  and  slow 
work,  for  Mag  did  not  know  many  words; 
but  it  would  not  be  easy  to  tell  how  glad 
she  felt  when  in  this  way  she  learned  a  new  one. 
The  very  first  sentence  in  her  book  had  held  her 
for  a  long  time.  This  is  it :  "  If  you  look  at 
a  map  of  the  world,  you  will  see  in  the  left  hand 
upper  corner  of  the  Eastern  Hemisphere,  two 

'35 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

islands  lying  in  the  sea.  They  are  England 
and  Scotland,  and  Ireland." 

That  seems  a  simple  enough  sentence,  does 
it  not?  But  Mag  had  never  seen  a  map  of 
the  world,  and  had  not  the  least  idea  what  it 
was.  Neither  did  she  understand  why  the  book 
should  say,  "  two  islands,"  and  then  speak  of 
three  places.  Moreover,  she  did  not  know  what 
an  island  was.  Now  you  understand  some- 
thing of  the  work  before  her.  It  chanced  that 
Kate  Perkins,  on  the  very  day  that  Mag  began 
her  book,  had  occasion  to  consult  an  atlas,  and 
to  look  at  the  map  of  the  world.  Mag  almost 
dropped  the  glass  of  water  she  was  carrying, 
in  her  excitement,  when  she  heard  Kate,  who 
was  bending  over  a  big  book,  say  suddenly: 

"Oh,  the  Western  Hemisphere!  What  an 
idiot  I  am !  I  have  been  staring  at  the  Eastern 
Hemisphere  half  an  hour,  trying  to  find  it 
there." 

Dear,  dear !  If  only  Mag  could  "  stare  at  the 
Eastern  Hemisphere  "  for  half  a  minute,  she 

thought  that  some  of  her   riddles   might  be 

136 


DISCOVERIES 

guessed.  After  the  glass  of  water  was  safely 
landed  she  hovered  near  the  big  book. 

"  If  you  please,  is  that  a  hemisphere?  "  she 
asked  timidly. 

"Of  course,"  said  Kate,  who  was  busy; 
"  don't  you  see  it  says  so  ?  " 

Sure  enough!  it  not  only  said  that,  but  in 
large  letters  at  the  top  of  the  page,  "  Map  of  the 
Worldv"  Now  indeed  Mag  must  have  just  a 
glimpse.  There  was  no  duty  for  her  to  fly  to 
at  that  moment,  and  the  book  was  large;  so  by 
standing  rather  near  Kate  and  staring  with  all 
her  might,  Mag  managed  to  discover  a  bright 
spot  that  said  "  England  and  Scotland,"  and  an- 
other that  said  "  Ireland.  Only  two  places  and 
three  names !  One  of  the  bright  spots  had  two 
names,  then.  But  what  did  the  word  "  island  " 
mean?  She  watched  her  chance  when  Kate 
Perkins  raised  her  head,  at  last,  from  the  fine 
print  she  was  studying,  and  ventured  another 
question. 

"  Please,  Miss  Kate,  what  is  an  island  ?  " 

"  Why,  it  is  a  body  of  land  surrounded  by 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

water,  of  course.  What  a  dunce  you  are, 
Mag,  for  a  girl  of  thirteen !  Mother,"  turning 
her  eyes  for  a  moment  toward  Mrs.  Perkins, 
who  had  just  entered  the  room,  "  Mag  ought  to 
go  to  school;  she  doesn't  even  know  what  an 
island  is ! " 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Perkins,  "  she  knows 
what  an  iron  is ;  and  I  want  her  to  go  and  iron 
towels,  instead  of  chattering  to  you." 

Mag  went  to  the  towels  at  once,  with  satis- 
faction on  her  face.  She  had  discovered  Eng- 
land, Scotland  and  Ireland,  and  found  out  what 
an  island  was.  Why  should  she  not  be  happy  ? 

But  that  method  of  study  was  necessarily 
slow.  On  that  first  page  she  encountered  the 
words  "solitary,"  "expanse,"  "cliff"  and 
"  adventures,"  none  of  which  she  knew.  She 
wrote  them  down  carefully  on  the  margin  of  a 
newspaper  and  bided  her  time. 

"  If  you  please,  Mr.  Frederick,"  she  said  to 
him  that  evening,  "  Could  I  sometime,  when 
you  are  not  using  it,  look  in  your  dictionary  for 

four  words?  " 

138 


DISCOVERIES 

"  Certainly,"  he  said  with  great  heartiness 
"  Look  in  it  as  often  as  you  like.  When  you 
are  waiting  in  the  hall  for  that  industrious 
bell  to  ring  and  hear  a  word  that  puzzles  you, 
just  rush  in  here  and  find  its  meaning.  There 
is  no  telling  how  much  knowledge  you  may  be 
able  to  get  by  the  means." 

He  laughed  at  the  idea  of  such  a  mouse 
studying  the  dictionary,  and  could  not  know 
how  happy  he  had  made  her.  Of  course,  she 
had  not  a  great  deal  of  time  for  reading,  and,  as 
she  read  over  each  page  again  and  again,  until 
she  was  sure  that  she  understood  every  word  in 
it,  and  came  constantly  to  words  whose  mean- 
ing she  had  to  wait  for  a  chance  to  hunt  out,  it 
was  not  strange  that  at  the  end  of  two  weeks 
she  had  read  only  to  the  tenth  page.  But  when 
Fred  Ainsworth  thought  of  his  experiment  and 
questioned  her  as  to  how  far  she  had  got,  he 
was  much  disappointed  at  the  answer.  Not  ten 
pages  in  all  that  time!  And  he  had  imagined 
that  she  might  really  plunge  through  it  and 
find  the  story  parts,  and  learn  something !  Then 

'39 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

he  called  himself  an  idiot  for  supposing  that 
such  an  ignorant  little  creature  as  she  could  care 
for  a  history,  however  simply  written;  and 
thought  no  more  about  her.  But  Mag  Jessup 
was  really  living  all  the  while  in  a  little  world 
of  her  own.  The  "  girl  out  of  a  book,"  whose 
company  she  had  enjoyed  so  much,  had  made 
her  hungry  for  other  companionship,  and  in 
the  History  of  England  she  found  it.  In  the 
course  of  a  few  weeks,  not  only  Julius  Csesar, 
but  the  fair  Rowena,  with  whom  the  king  fell 
in  love,  and  the  good  Edwin,  King  of  North- 
umbria,  and  Prince  Egbert,  and  Queen  Ed- 
burga,  and  a  host  of  others,  became  her  inti- 
mate acquaintances.  Around  the  little  that  the 
book  had  to  tell  about  these,  she  threw  the 
power  of  her  imagination,  and  acted  out  in  her 
mind  all  the  good  deeds  that  she  could  imagine 
of  some  of  them,  and  grew  white  with  horror 
over  the  crimes  of  Queen  Edburga,  for  in- 
stance. Alfred  the  Great  became  her  hero,  and 
the  number  of  times  she  played  that  she  was  the 
cowherd's  wife,  and  King  Alfred  was  set  to 

140 


DISCOVERIES 

watch  her  cakes,  could  not  be  told.  Hero 
though  he  was,  she  could  not  help  being  sorry 
that  he  so  far  forgot  his  duty  as  to  let  those 
cakes  burn. 

I  do  not  know  that  I  can  make  you  under- 
stand how  entirely  this  girl  of  one  book  made 
the  book  a  part  of  her  very  life.  Remember 
that  she  was  not  used  to  stories,  only  such  as 
she  had  been  able  to  imagine  for  herself,  and 
to  have  real  people  brought  before  her,  as  they 
were  in  this  history,  to  know  their  names  and 
some  of  their  famous  deeds,  and  to  be  able  to 
act  them  out  in  her  own  room  at  night,  became 
a  perfect  fascination. 

There  was  one  thing  to  be  always  glad  over ; 
that  "  Little  Pillows  "  had  fallen  into  her  hands 
before  the  history.  Fascinating  as  this  was, 
it  could  never  take  the  place  of  her  first  dear 
book.  Every  night  of  her  life  she  read  and  re- 
read a  "  Pillow."  When  the  month  was  com- 
pleted, and  she  had  read  them  all,  she  began 
again,  with  as  much  interest  as  though  they 
were  new  to  her.  It  is  difficult,  also,  to  tell  you 

141 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

how  much  she  learned  about  God  and  heaven 
and  her  duty,  from  that  one  small  book.  You 
who  have  read  many  books,  and  who  know 
the  story  of  Jesus  coming  to  earth,  and  living 
and  dying,  and  rising  from  the  grave,  as  well 
as  you  know  your  own  names,  can  hardly  un- 
derstand what  it  all  meant  to  Mag  Jessup.  Per- 
haps, after  all,  this  is  the  great  difference  be- 
tween you.  You  read  a  story  from  the  Bible, 
or  elsewhere,  and  close  the  book  and  forget  it. 
Mag  read  it,  and  then  began  to  live  it.  You 
remember  that  the  very  first  "  Little  Pillow  " 
invited  her  to  come  to  Jesus  ?  It  said  to  her : 
"  Will  you  not  say,  '  I  am  coming,  Lord 
Jesus ! '  and  ask  him  to  stretch  out  his  hand  and 
help  you  to  come,  and  draw  you  quite  close  to 
himself?  "  How  often  have  you  had  the  same, 
or  a  like,  invitation?  Mag  accepted  it.  She 
went  down  on  her  knees  and  said  those  very 
words,  and  meant  them,  and,  of  course,  Jesus 
stretched  out  his  hand  and  helped  her.  He  al- 
ways does.  At  the  head  of  every  "  Pillow  " 
there  was  a  Bible  verse,  and  Mag  learned  every 

142 


DISCOVERIES 

one  of  these.  One  was,  "  I,  even  I,  am  he  that 
blotteth  out  thy  transgressions,"  and  the  words 
that  followed  explained  what  it  meant.  So 
Mag  knew  her  sins  were  blotted  out,  because 
God  said  so.  There  was  one  that  said,  "  He 
that  keepeth  thee  will  not  slumber."  Then  Mag 
knew  that  God  would  take  care  of  her.  There 
was  one  that  said,  "  O  Lord,  thou  knowest," 
and,  from  the  explanation,  she  learned  that  he 
knew  every  little  thing  about  her,  not  only  what 
she  said  and  did,  but  what  she  thought.  Oh, 
by  the  time  she  had  read  that  book  through 
carefully  three  times,  she  could  have  passed  a 
very  fair  examination  on  the  central  truths  of 
religion ;  as  good  as  you  can,  my  girl,  who  have 
been  in  Sunday-school  all  your  life,  and  read, 
as  I  heard  a  girl  of  thirteen  say  the  other  day, 
"  more  than  two  hundred  books."  Mag  Jessup 
could  have  said  something  that  that  girl  of 
thirteen  could  not:  that  as  fast  as  she  found 
out  a  truth  she  set  herself  to  work  to  live  by 
it. 

Because  of  these  things  the  little  girl's  life 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

had  not  been  entirely  miserable,  even  while  she 
was  passing  through  her  trial;  and  when  she 
discovered  that  "  all  things  work  together  for 
good  to  them  that  love  God,"  and  then  had  it 
proved  to  her  so  suddenly,  and  actually  had  a 
whole  Bible  all  her  own  given  to  her,  there  was 
not  to  be  found  in  the  city,  perhaps,  a  happier 
girl  than  Mag  Jessup.  But  new  experiences 
were  in  store  for  her. 

In  the  first  place,  Miss  Ordway,  who,  besides 
the  kindly  feeling  that  she  had  had  from  the 
first  toward  the  lonely  little  girl,  could  not  help 
thinking  that  she  owed  her  a  special  kindness, 
because  she  had  been  to  her  the  occasion  of  a 
special  trouble,  hit  upon  a  way  of  showing  it 
that  gave  Mag  much  pleasure. 

"  How  well  that  little  brown  creature  would 
look  in  bright  colors,"  she  said  one  day  to  Fred 
Ainsworth,  as  he  lingered  with  her  over  a  new 
flower  she  had  just  finished,  and  brought  down 
to  sliow  him,  and  Mag  passed  the  door  on  one 
of  her  many  errands.  "  She  has  just  the  right 
complexion  for  something  pink;  and  her  eyes 

144 


DISCOVERIES 

are  bright  enough  to  match  it.    I  think  she  has 
lovely  eyes." 

"  She  would  look  well  in  anything  fresh  and 
girlish,"  grumbled  Fred,  "  and  she  never  has 
anything.  I  don't  see  why  Mrs.  Perkins 
wants  to  make  such  a  guy  of  her.  She  is  the 
last  creature  in  the  world  to  wear  blue,  anyway ; 
and  by  the  time  Kate  Perkins  gets  through  with 
her  bjue  things  they  look  more  like  grey  ones. 
I'd  like  to  see  the  mouse  dressed  up  once,  just 
for  the  sake  of  rinding  what  a  difference  clothes 
can  make.  She  ought  to  be  in  my  Aunt  Annie's 
hands  for  a  little  while.  My  Aunt  Annie's  an 
artist  in  dress,  Miss  Ordway;  she  studies  my 
cousin  Margaret's  clothes  as  you  do  a  picture, 
and  the  result  is  striking.  I  suppose  poor  little 
Mag  will  never  have  anybody  to  study  dress 
for  her.  It  seems  a  pity,  doesn't  it,  to  see  such 
a  young  creature  as  she  so  alone  in  the  world? 
My !  what  I  would  do  if  " He  left  the  sen- 
tence unfinished;  but  Miss  Ordway,  who  had 
become  quite  good  friends  with  him,  guessed 
that  it  might  be :  "  What  I  would  do  if  my 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

mother  and  father  were  not  coming  home  next 
fall."  And  she  could  easily  see  why  such  a  sen- 
tence might  be  left  unfinished.  The  talk  set  her 
to  thinking.  She  tossed  her  head  a  little  over 
that  remark  about  his  Aunt  Annie,  and  said  to 
herself  that  she  guessed  there  were  other  artists 
in  dress  as  well  as  she.  Then  she  thought  of  a 
pretty  wrapper  that  lay  in  the  bottom  of  her 
trunk,  with  a  stain  on  the  front  breadth  that  it 
had  been  impossible  to  get  out.  But  it  wouldn't 
be  impossible  to  cut  around  it ;  and  she  had  new 
pieces  like  the  goods;  enough,  she  believed,  to 
make  a  handsome  dress  for  a  little  girl.  Why 
shouldn't  she  please  herself  by  seeing  how  the 
child  would  look  in  it  ? 

Miss  Ordway  had  been  used  all  her  life  to 
pleasing  herself ;  so  that  very  afternoon  she  got 
out  the  wrapper,  and  the  new  pieces,  and 
studied  them  instead  of  her  next  flower  piece; 
and  went  down  town  and  bought  a  pattern  that 
her  skilled  eye  saw  would  suit  Mag's  form  and 
harmonize  with  the  pieces,  and  before  bedtime 
had  the  pleasure  of  having  planned  out  the  en- 

146 


DISCOVERIES 

tire  dress.  She  was  a  woman  of  business. 
Therefore,  she  took  the  planned-out  dress  the 
next  morning  to  a  woman  who  did  plain  sew- 
ing, and  sat  for  an  hour  with  her,  planning  and 
directing.  An  old  dress  of  Mag's  had  been  se- 
cured as  guide,  and  the  sewing-woman  agreed 
that  there  could  be  no  doubt  but  the  pattern 
would  fit  "  middling  well." 

The  idea  grew.  Before  the  dress  was  ready 
to  be  tried  on,  Miss  Ordway  had  discovered 
among  her  laid-away  trinkets  a  roll  of  brown 
satin  ribbon  and  a  bunch  of  poppies,  and  had 
bought  a  brown  straw  hat  that  matched  the 
ribbon,  and  concocted  out  of  them  all  a  hat  that 
she  knew  would- look  well  with  the  dress.  It 
was  drawing  towards  spring  now,  and  a  brown 
straw  hat  was  just  the  thing  to  have.  But 
how  horrid  they  would  both  look  with  that  old 
grey  sack  that  was  much  too  large  for  Mag,  and 
not  of  the  right  shape  anyway !  Miss  Ordway 
happened  on  Sixteenth  street  one  morning 
when  a  special  sale  of  outside  garments  was  an- 
nounced, and  there  she  found  a  brown  sack  so 

H7 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

exactly  fitted  to  the  brown  hat,  and  offered  for 
such  a  ridiculously  low  price,  that  it  would 
have  been  a  shame  not  to  have  bought  it;  so 
she  bought  it.  Then  she  stopped  at  the  sewing- 
woman's  to  find  that  the  dress  was  ready  for 
the  trying  on,  the  woman  feeling  sure  that  there 
would  be  almost  no  altering  needed.  She  knew 
that  slip  of  a  girl,  had  often  seen  her  pass.  The 
waist  seams  might  need  a  little  letting  out,  but 
she  didn't  believe  it.  That  kind  of  pattern  was 
always  made  large,  giving  them  room  to  grow. 
So  now  everything  was  ready  for  a  grand  sur- 
prise. Miss  Ordway  left  the  hat  and  sack  at  the 
sewing- woman's  and  agreed  to  call  with  Mag 
that  very  Saturday  afternoon,  if  she  could,  in 
the  hope  that  she  could  transform  her  and  carry 
her  home  to  show  Mr.  Fred  Ainsworth  that  she 
too,  was  "  an  artist  in  dress." 


148 


CHAPTER  X 

SURPRISES 

BEFORE  the  noon  of  that  eventful  Sat- 
urday, Mag  Jessup's  head  was  so  com- 
pletely turned  by  the  surprise  that  had 
come  to  her  as  to  make  Norah,  who  was  in 
her   usual    Saturday   temper,    say   contemptu- 
ously that  she  might  as  well  depend  upon  a 
cabbage-head  to  help  her!     The  surprise  was 
simply  that  Miss  Ordway  had  invited  the  little 
girl  to  take  a  walk  with  her  that  afternoon,  and 
Mrs.  Perkins  had  given  permission. 

"  She  is  going  to  her  dressmaker's,"  Mrs. 
Perkins  explained,  "  and  she  wants  you  to  go 
along  and  bring  home  a  bundle  for  her." 

Even  such  an  outing  as  this  was  a  treat  to 
Mag.  She  had  errands  in  abundance  to  do,  but 
most  of  them  were  at  the  branch  grocery,  on 
the  corner  of  the  avenue,  for  little  things  that 
had  been  forgotten  in  the  day's  order.  Or  else 

149 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

to  the  branch  furnishing  store  for  buttons,  or 
thread,  or  tape,  or  such  commonplaces.  Nearly 
always  she  was  in  a  hurry,  and  had  to  run  just 
as  she  was,  in  her  work-dress.  But  on  this 
afternoon  she  was  to  put  on  her  best  dress  and 
walk  with  Miss  Ordway  down  any  street  that 
she  chose  to  take,  "  exactly,"  said  Mag  glee- 
fully to  herself,  "  as  if  I  were  a  girl  in  a  book !  " 
What  if  the  main  object  was  to  have  a  bundle 
brought  home?  Miss  Ordway  might  have  sent 
her  for  it  in  a  hurry,  between  daylight  and 
dark,  instead  of  taking  her  with  her. 

If  so  small  a  matter  could  make  Mag  happy, 
what  was  it,  do  you  think,  to  be  invited  to  try 
on  a  dress  that  was  brighter  and  handsomer 
than  any  she  had  ever  touched,  and  had  "  lovely 
new  trimming  on  it !  "  Mag  doubted  her  own 
.ears  when  the  order  came,  and  looked  from 
one  woman  to  the  other  in  a  bewilderment  that 
was  almost  painful. 

"  Dear  me !  "  said  the  dressmaker,  "  it  will 
have  to  be  taken  in,  after  all.  What  a  mouse 
she  is,  to  be  sure!  Well,  Miss  Ordway,  I  left 

150 


SURPRISES 

the  seams  on  purpose,  you  know,  and  I  can  have 
it  ready  within  an  hour's  time." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  "  then  we 
will  do  our  other  errands  and  come  back  for  it. 
The  dress  is  for  a  little  girl  of  the  same  size  as 
yourself,"  she  said,  turning  to  Mag  with  a 
smile;  "  do  you  think  she  will  like  it?  " 

"  Oh,  ma'am,"  said  Mag,  her  cheeks  aglow, 
"  she  can't  help  but  like  it;  it  is  just  lovely!  " 

"  And  it  will  be  right  becoming  to  her,  too," 
said  the  dressmaker  with  a  wise  nod. 

Miss  Ordway  was  a  little  disappointed,  be- 
cause she  had  hoped  that  the  dress  would  fit 
exactly,  and  she  could  take  her  charge  in  new 
garments  to  the  Art  Gallery,  where  she  meant 
to  spend  an  hour.  She  thought  of  letting  her 
wear  the  new  hat  and  sack,  as  Mag's  little  old 
felt  hat,  of  a  shape  and  color  that  had  never 
fitted  her,  looked  worse  than  ever  on  this 
bright,  springlike  day.  But  the  lady  decided, 
after  taking  a  critical  survey,  that  the  blue  dress 
Mag  wore,  which  was  much  too  long  for  her, 
and  had  faded  in  streaks,  would  look  even 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

worse  if  the  new  hat  and  sack  were  placed 
in  its  company.  So  she  took  her  just  as  she 
was. 

"  You  seem  to  like  pictures  so  well  that  I'm 
going  to  take  you  to  look  at  some  worth  see- 
ing," she  said  to  Mag  when  they  were  on  the 
street  again.  "  Have  you  ever  been  to  an  art 
gallery?" 

Mag  never  had;  nor  anywhere  else,  she 
might  have  added,  save  to  a  few  stores  and 
shops  on  errands. 

Miss  Ordway  watched  the  girl  with  no  little 
interest  as  they  wandered  through  the  world 
of  pictures.  She  was  curious  to  see  what  effect 
such  splendid  works  of  art  would  have  on  the 
untrained  little  creature,  who  yet  seemed  to 
know  by  a  sort  of  instinct  which  among  her 
own  collection  of  paintings  had  the  best  work 
put  on  it.  But  she  was  not  prepared  for  the 
surprise  that  Mag  gave  her.  They  were  in  the 
historical  room,  through  which  the  lady  had 
meant  to  pass  in  haste;  nothing  there  could 
hold  the  attention  of  a  child  like  Mag.  Yet  the 

152 


SURPRISES 

girl  stopped  suddenly  before  one  large  canvas, 
her  cheeks  and  eyes  aglow,  her  lips  parted,  and 
a  sort  of  wondering  delight  in  her  eager  look. 
Miss  Ordway  waited  just  behind  her,  and 
watched  and  wondered.  She  could  see  nothing 
on  the  canvas  that  should  hold  a  child.  At  last 
the  girl  turned  in  search  of  her  and  asked  her 
eager  question : 

"  Oh,  Miss  Ordway,  can  these  be  the  men 
from  Calais  ?  I  think  it  must  be.  See !  the  ropes 
are  around  their  necks,  and  there  is  the  Queen 
kneeling,  and  King  Edward  looking  as  though 
he  did  not  know  what  to  do.  Isn't  it  King  Ed- 
ward, Miss  Ordway?" 

"  Upon  my  word,  I  do  not  know,"  said  Miss 
Ordway,  very  much  astonished.  "  Which 
King  Edward  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Why,  the  one  who  saved  the  lives  of  the 
six  men  he  had  ordered  to  come  to  him  from 
Calais,  with  ropes  around  their  necks;  they 
brought  the  keys  of  the  castle  and  the  town, 
you  know ;  and  King  Edward  said  to  the  Queen 
when  she  went  on  her  knees  to  him  to  save 

'53 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

them :  '  I  wish  you  were  somewhere  else ;  but 
I  can  not  refuse  you.' ' 

"  Really,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  with  a  pleasant 
laugh,  "  I  shall  have  to  rub  up  my  knowledge 
of  English  history  if  I  am  to  take  walks  with 
you.  Where  did  you  learn  all  that,  child?  I 
did  not  suppose  you  so  much  as  knew  that  there 
had  been  any  kings  of  England." 

"  It  is  in  my  book,"  said  Mag  simply.  "  Don't 
you  remember  my  history  of  England  that  I 
told  you  Mr.  Frederick  lent  me  ?  " 

"  And  you  have  made  such  good  use  of  it 
that  you  recognize  the  characters  when  you  see 
their  pictures,  do  you?  I  think  you  must  be 
right;  let  us  see.  Yes,  you  have  named  the 
scene  correctly,"  she  added,  after  a  moment's 
reference  to  her  catalogue.  "  I  certainly  think 
Mr.  Frederick  has  reason  to  be  proud  of  his 
pupil.  A  wise  man  once  said :  '  Beware  of  the 
man  of  one  book.'  If  he  had  known  you,  he 
could  have  said :  '  Beware  of  the  little  girl  of 
one  book.'  " 

Mag  looked  at  her  with  a  wistful,  question- 

'54 


SURPRISES 

ing  gaze  in  her  large  eyes.  It  was  clear  that  she 
did  not  understand. 

"  He  meant,"  said  Miss  Ordway ,  kindly, 
"  that  the  man  who  read  and  studied  one  book  a 
great  deal  would  after  a  time,  come  to  know  so 
much  about  it  that  people  who  talked  with  him 
would  need  to  take  care  lest  they  appear  very 
ignorant." 

"  Oh,"  said  Mag,  with  a  happy  sfhile,  "  I 
have  two  books  now,  Miss  Ordway,  of  my  very 
own.  My  lovely,  beautiful  Bible!  Every  night 
before  I  go  to  sleep  I  hug  it  and  kiss  it.  And  I 
read  in  it  every  day.  When  I  have  read  it 
through,  I  am  going  to  begin  at  the  beginning 
and  read  it  again.  Miss  Ordway  " — with  the 
thoughtful  look  that  was  very  noticeable  in 
Mag  spreading  suddenly  over  her  face — "  is  it 
wrong,  do  you  think,  to  play  Bible  ?  " 

"  To  play  Bible !  "  repeated  Miss  Ordway,  in 
great  bewilderment;  "  that  is  an  idea  quite  be- 
yond me.  Just  what  does  it  mean  ?  " 

"  Why,"  said  Mag,  the  ready  flush  coming 
into  her  face,  "  to  make  it  into  play, 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

you  know;  as  one  can  do  with  Eng- 
lish history.  I  can  play  that  the  kings  and 
queens  were  there,  and  use  my  chair  for  a 
throne,  and  the  window-seat  for  a  platform, 
and  go  through  all  the  talks  as  they  did.  And 
I  like  to  do  it  with  the  Bible,  but  I  wasn't  sure 
it  would  be  right." 

"  How  could  you  manage  it  with  the 
Bible  ? "  asked  Miss  Ordway,  trying  not  to 
smile.  "  That  would  be  harder  than  the  history 
of  England,  would  it  not  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  ma'am.  I  take  the  flower-picture 
you  gave  me  and  set  it  on  my  table,  and  put 
the  pressed  flowers  fastened  to  a  paper  that 
you  said  you  didn't  want  any  more,  at  one  side, 
and  an  orange  that  Miss  Kate  gave  me  on  the 
other,  and  I  play  that  that  is  the  garden  of 
Eden.  There  is  a  picture  of  a  man  that  I  cut 
out  of  the  paper,  for  Adam,  and  I  " — this  with 
a  slight  hesitation  and  a  heightening  of  the 
pink  on  her  cheeks  — "  can  be  Eve,  you  know ; 
and  the  orange  is  the  '  tree  of  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil.' ' 

156 


SURPRISES 

Then  Miss  Ordway  laughed  outright;  she 
could  not  help  it,  despite  the  fact  that  poor 
Mag's  eyes  began  to  lose  their  brightness  in  a 
film  of  tears.  The  lady  hastened  to  recover 
herself,  and  spoke  quickly : 

"  You  poor,  lonely  little  mouse !  No,  I  can 
not  see  why  there  should  be  any  harm  in  play- 
ing it  all  out  as  much  as  you  please.  But  I 
shouldn't  think  you  would  like  to  be  Eve;  she 
did  such  grave  mischief." 

"  Did  she  ?  "  Nothing  was  plainer  than  that 
Mag  had  not  yet  caught  the  fact  that  through 
Adam  and  Eve  came  all  the  trouble  that  sin 
causes  in  this  world. 

"  I  thought  of  that,"  she  added  gravely, 
"  and  I  did  not  like  to  play  all  the  time  that  I 
was  Eve,  but  there  was  nobody  else,  you  know. 
And  she  didn't  do  any  worse  than  people  do 
now,  did  she?  People  who  do  not  try  to  obey 
God.  Mr.  Frederick  said  there  were  lots  of 
folks  who  didn't  care  anything  about  obey- 
ing him;  and  didn't  think  anything  about 
it;  they  just  kept  on  disobeying,  day  after 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

day.  That  is  being  worse  than  Eve  was,  isn't 
it?" 

The  conversation  was  getting  too  close  for 
Miss  Ordway.  "  I  don't  know  but  it  is,"  she 
said  frankly.  "  It  is  certain  anyway  that  you 
are  a  queer  little  mouse.  I  presume  it  will  do 
no  harm  for  you  to  keep  on  playing  you  are 
she ;  for  I  suspect  she  was  sorry  enough  for  her 
folly,  afterwards." 

"  I'm  not  Eve  all  the  time,"  explained  Mag; 
"  there  are  others,  you  know.  Sometimes  I 
am  Sarah;  but  then  she  told  a  lie!  I  haven't 
found  any  real  nice  people  yet  that  I  would  like 
to  be,  all  the  time.  But  I  haven't  got  far  in  the 
book.  I  think  I  will  come  to  some  one."  It 
would  be  hard  to  put  into  words  an  idea  of  the 
disappointment  and  hope  that  were  marked  in 
Mag's  tones. 

Miss  Ordway  laughed  again;  she  could  not 
help  it;  there  was  such  a  funny  side  to  this 
revelation. 

"  I  don't  know,"  she  said.  "  I  am  afraid  if 
you  are  in  search  of  a  character  to  represent  one 

158 


SURPRISES 

who  never  does  wrong1,  you  will  have  to  take 
some  angel.  But  I  must  say  I  think  your  way 
of  reading  the  Bible  is  very  interesting.  I  don't 
know  as  much  about  it  as  I  ought.  Perhaps  if 
I  had  thought  to  try  that  way  of  studying  it, 
I  might  have  been  wiser.  But,  do  you  know 
that  we  are  spending  a  large  part  of  our  hour 
on  this  "  Siege  of  Calais,"  and  not  seeing  any 

of  the  pictures  I  brought  you  to  look  at?  " 
******* 

"  We  shall  have  to  ring,"  said  Miss  Ordway 
two  hours  later,  as  she  and  her  companion 
reached  Mrs.  Perkins's  door.  "  I  left  my  latch- 
key in  the  pocket  of  the  dress  I  wore  this  morn- 
ing. How  do  you  suppose  we  shall  get  in, 
since  you  are  not  there  to  open  the  door  ?  " 

This  began  to  be  a  question  of  some  interest. 
After  long  waiting  it  was  Mrs.  Perkins  who  let 
them  in. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  have  kept  you  waiting  so 
long,"  she  said ;  "  the  girls  are  all  busy,  and  I 
forgot  that  Mag  was  out.  What  has  become 
of  her,  Miss  Ordway  ?  Did  you  send  her  home 

'59 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

alone?  If  you  did,  she  has  not  appeared 
yet?" 

"  Here  she  is,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  her  eyes 
dancing  over  this  tribute  to  Mag's  changed 
appearance. 

Then  did  Mrs.  Perkins  stare !  What  a  won- 
derful difference  a  becoming  dress  and  hat  and 
sack  could  make,  to  be  sure! 

"  Well,  really !  "  she  said  at  last,  trying  "to  re- 
cover from  her  amazement.  "  I  should  not 
have  known  the  child  if  I  had  met  her  on  the 
street.  '  Fine  feathers  make  fine  birds  ' ;  the  old 
proverb  is  true  enough.  But  I  hope  you  will 
not  spoil  the  child,  Miss  Ordway.  She  has  her 
own  living  to  earn,  with  nobody  to  help  her, 
and  can  hardly  afford  to  dress  like  that." 

"  It  is  very  simple  dressing,"  said  Miss 
Ordway;  "the  dress  is  made  of  a  wrapper  of 
mine  that  I  could  not  wear  any  longer,  and  is 
no  more  expensive  goods  than  the  dress  that 
Mag  had  on  was  when  it  was  new ;  and  the  hat 
and  sack  are  very  cheap.  It  is  simply  because 
the  colors  and  the  shape  of  the  garments  suit 

160 


SURPRISES 

Mag's  face  and  form  that  they  have  made  such 
a  change  in  her  appearance." 

"  Upon  my  word,"  said  Fred  Ainsworth, 
joining  Miss  Ordway,  as  they  came  up  from 
dinner,  "  I  believe  you  are  a  witch.  I  met  that 
small  mouse  that  I  used  to  call  '  Mag '  in  the 
hall  leading  to  the  dining-room,  and  did  not 
know  her.  She  tells  me  you  have  been  waving 
the  wand  of  your  enchantment  over  her.  Who 
would  have  imagined  that  a  dress  that  came 
within  a  few  feet  of  fitting  her,  and  that  was 
becomingly  made,  could  create  such  a  differ- 
ence ?  " 

"  It  is  the  color,  chiefly,"  said  Miss  Ordway, 
laughing ;  "  the  child  never  had  on  anything 
but  blue  until  to-day;  and  blue,  as  you  said, 
is  the  color,  of  all  others,  that  she  can  not  wear. 
But  don't  mention  clothes,  please.  I  have  had 
such  a  surprise  this  afternoon  as  it  will  take  me 
months  to  recover  from.  While  the  dress  was 
being  finished  it  suited  my  mood  to  take  my 
charge  to  the  art  gallery,  and  show  her  some 
of  the  wonders  there.  What  do  you  suppose 

161 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

she  stopped  over,  with  eyes  aglow  and  her  face 
speaking  volumes,  and  presently  poured  out 
questions  concerning  it — no,  not  questions; 
information  in  the  form  of  questions?  'Was 
that  really  King  Edward,  and  the  Queen  on  her 
knees?  And  those  men  with  the  ropes  around 
their  necks?  Why  they  must  surely  be  the  six 
men  from  Calais  ?  '  Imagine  it !  " 

"  Where  in  the  name  of  all  that  is  bewilder- 
ing did  that  chicken  ever  hear  of  the  six  men  of 
Calais  ?  "  asked  Frederick. 

"  The  idea  of  your  not  knowing,  when  you 
are  the  original  cause !  Mag  says  you  lent  her 
the  History  of  England,  and,  judging  from 
what  I  heard  this  afternoon,  I  think  she  must 
be  committing  it  to  memory.  More  than  that, 
she  is  adapting  it  to  the  stage,  and  acting  it  out 
in  daily  life.  She  confesses  to  me  that  she  is 
by  turns  queen,  and  lady's  maid,  and  what  not ! 
Oh,  and  more  than  that,  her  personations  are  a 
trifle  mixed.  What  do  you  think  of  her  becom- 
ing Eve,  on  occasion,  and  actually  eating  the 
forbidden  fruit?" 

162 


SURPRISES 

"What?" 

An  outburst  of  laughter,  and  then  the  two 
sat  down  together  in  the  back  parlor,  and  Miss 
Ordway  went  over  the  experiences  of  the  after- 
noon. 

"  She  is  a  queer  little  bit  of  creation,"  said 
Frederick.  "  I  discovered  that,  the  first  time 
I  ever  said  a  dozen  words  to  her.  It  is  an  awful 
shame,  Miss  Ordway,  that  she  should  not  have 
an  opportunity  to  study.  She  ought  to  be  in 
school,  instead  of  dancing  attendance  on  door- 
bells, and  being  made  a  drudge  for  Norah.  I 
wish  my  father  and  mother  were  at  home  and 
I  would  see  if  something  could  not  be  done  for 
her.  She  is  thirteen  years  old,  small  as  she  is; 
and  a  perfect  little  dunce." 

"  No,  she  is  not !  "  said  Miss  Ordway,  with 
a  positive  little  nod.  "  I'll  venture  to  say  that 
she  is  better  posted  in  English  history,  so  far  as 
she  has  gone,  than  any  girl  of  her  age  in  this 
city.  And  now  that  she  has  got  started,  see  if 
she  does  not  make  her  way,  notwithstanding 
her  lack  of  opportunities.  Still,  as  you  say,  it 

163 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

is  a  pity  that  she  should  not  have  some.  Is 
Mrs.  Perkins  going  to  take  her  to  the  country 
with  her  this  summer  ?  " 

"  I  presume  so,"  Frederick  said  gloomily ; 
"  to  shell  peas,  and  pick  berries,  and  drudge. 
It  is  a  dreadful  shame!  I  don't  understand 
how  a  woman  can  think  she  is  doing  her  duty 
by  an  orphan  child  simply  by  giving  her  decent 
clothes  and  something  to  eat." 

"  It  is  too  late  in  the  season  to  accomplish 
much,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  "  but  by  next  fall 
a  way  ought  certainly  to  be  made  for  a  girl  like 
her  to  be  in  school.  Let  us  keep  it  in  mind, 
Frederick,  and  see  what  we  can  do." 


164 


CHAPTER  XI 

NEW  IDEAS 

IT  might  have  been  the  new  dress  and  hat 
and  sack  that  helped,  or  it  might  have- 
been  because  Mr.  Fred  Ainsworth  had 
been  coaxed  into  making  a  positive  promise 
that  he  would  come  around  to  the  church  on  the 
"  Square  "  that  evening  and  attend  the  young 
people's  meeting.  Or  it  might  have  been 
that  his  conscience  troubled  him  for  leav- 
ing that  prayer  of  poor  little  Mag's  so 
long  unanswered.  Whatever  the  reason, 
the  fact  remains  that  he  determined  to  take 
Mag  Jessup  with  him  to  the  meeting  she 
so  longed  for.  That  is,  if  Mrs.  Perkins's  con- 
sent could  be  gained.  That  was  not  easy  of 
accomplishment. 

"  Why,  I  don't  know,"  said  Mrs.  Perkins, 
doubtfully,  and  her  face  looked  more  than 
doubtful.  "  Oh,  I  could  spare  her,  of  course ; 

165 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

it  isn't  that,"  spoken  loftily.  "  Mag's  services 
are  not  so  important  that  it  makes  very  much 
difference  where  she  is,  especially  at  that  hour  of 
the  night ;  but,  Mr.  Frederick,  I  have  done  what 
I  could,  so  far,  to  bring  her  up  respectably;  I 
don't  believe  in  little  girls  being  out  on  the 
streets,  evenings,  and  I've  never  allowed  it ;  and 
if  you  break  through  my  rule  and  begin  with 
her,  who  knows  where  it  will  end  ?  " 

"  But,  surely,  Mrs.  Perkins,"  said  Frederick, 
and  there  was  a  slightly  indignant  tone  to  his 
voice,  "  a  little  girl  may  be  allowed  to  go  to 
church  on  Sunday  evening,  provided  there  is 
some  responsible  older  person  who  is  willing  to 
go  along  and  take  care  of  her.  I  did  not  in- 
tend to  run  away  and  leave  her  on  the  street 
unprotected." 

"  I  suppose  not,"  said  Mrs.  Perkins,  and  she 
tried  to  make  her  voice  pleasanter ; "  but  the  fact 
is,  I  have  to  be  very  careful ;  since  I  am  the  only 
real  protector  the  child  has,  I  feel  the  responsi- 
bility, and  if  Miss  Qrdway  and  you,  between 
you,  put  notions  into  her  head  that  can  not  be 

1 66 


NEW  IDEAS 

carried  out,  why,  it  will  be  the  worse  for  her,  as 
well  as  for  me." 

Frederick  was  still  indignant.  "  Let  us  hope, 
Mrs.  Perkins,"  he  said,  "  that  allowing  a  child 
to  go  to  a  prayer-meeting  occasionally,  under 
proper  care,  will  not  put  any  notions  into  her 
head  that  will  injure  her." 

Then  Mrs.  Perkins  decided  that  it  would  be 
wise  to  let  Mag  Jessup  go  to  prayer-meeting. 
Frederick  Ainsworth's  family  were  too  valu- 
able patrons  to  lose,  and  if  Mr.  Frederick  was 
a  boy  who  took  "  notions,"  it  was  better  to 
humor  him. 

Therefore  it  was  that  Mag  Jessup,  at  half- 
past  six  of  that  wonderful  Sunday  evening, 
arrayed  in  her  new  bright  dress  and  hat  and 
sack,  with  a  pair  of  silk  gloves  added,  that  Miss 
Ordway  had  discovered  among  her  boxes,  and 
which  were  not  very  much  too  large  in  the 
fingers,  walked  demurely  down  the  street  be- 
side Frederick  Ainsworth,  who  was  half  pro- 
voked with  himself  for  doing  it,  yet  could  not 
but  be  amused  over  the  sparkle  in  Mag's  eyes, 

167 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

and  the  evident  tremor  of  delight  which  the 
little  girl  was  in. 

"  She  beats  the  little  girl  in  the  country  on 
the  way  to  the  circus !  "  he  muttered,  remem- 
bering his  last  summer's  experience. 

It  can  not  be  said  that  he  was  a  very  com- 
panionable protector.  On  the  plea  that  they 
were  late,  he  hurried  Mag  along  almost  breath- 
lessly, and  said  not  a  dozen  words  to  her  until 
the  large,  plain  building  at  the  Square  was 
reached.  It  was  true  that  they  were  late;  as 
the  outer  door  opened,  a  burst  of  song  greeted 
Mag's  hungry  ears.  Always  afterwards  she 
remembered  the  words  that  welcomed  her 

"  There  is  music  in  my  soul  to-day, 

A  carol  to  my  King; 
And  Jesus,  listening,  can  hear 
The  songs  I  can  not  sing." 

Never  had  the  lonely  little  girl's  heart  been  so 
full  of  song;  a  new  world  seemed  to  be  open- 
ing to  her.  Being  a  very  bird  for  music,  before 
she  was  fairly  seated  and  an  open  book  had  been 

1 68 


NEW  IDEAS 

passed  into  her  hands,  by  a  young  man  who 
seemed  to  be  watching  to  perform  this  service 
for  all  new-comers,  she  had  joined  in  the  ring- 
ing chorus: 

"  Oh,  there's  sunshine,  blessed  sunshine, 

V/hile  the  peaceful,  happy  moments  roll; 
When  Jesus  shows  his  smiling  face, 
There  is  sunshine  in  my  soul." 

» 

I  do  not  know  that  it  would  be  possible  to  tell 
you  how  that  meeting  impressed  poor  little 
Mag.  If  you  can  think  how  you  would  feel 
if  you  had  never  been  to  a  young  people's  meet- 
ing in  your  life,  and  when  you  were  about  thir- 
teen years  old  had  suddenly  been  introduced 
into  a  large,  bright  room,  full  even  to  the  very 
back  seats  with  girls  and  boys;  with  flowers 
on  the  pulpit,  and  flowers  on  the  piano,  and  a 
burst  of  song  from  many  throats  just  filling  the 
house,  you  can,  perhaps,  imagine  something  of 
what  it  was  to  Mag  Jessup.  She  wondered  af- 
terwards why  it  was  that  for  a  moment  her  eyes 
grew  so  dim  that  she  could  hardly  see, 

169 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

and  a  lump  seemed  to  come  in  her  throat. 
Actually,  she  was  so  happy  that  it  almost  made 
her  faint ! 

Following  the  singing  came  the  reading  of  a 
single  Bible  verse,  or  part  of  a  verse :  "  And 
of  all  that  thou  shalt  give  me  I  will  surely  give 
the  tenth  unto  thee." 

"  You  all  know,"  said  the  fair-faced  leader, 
who,  to  Mag's  intense  surprise,  was  a  young 
girl  not  very  much  older  than  herself,  "  that 
this  is  our  missionary  evening,  and  our  topic 
is  '  The  Tenth.'  I  am  not  going  to  take  much 
time ;  I  just  want  to  say  since  I  adopted  Jacob's 
motto,  and  began  to  give  the  tenth  of  every- 
thing, that  I  have  a  great  deal  nicer  time  than 
I  did  before.  When  missionary  Sunday  came, 
I  used  always  to  be  anxious.  I  did  not  know 
whether  I  could  spare  even  a  penny  to  give, 
and  sometimes  I  had  not  a  penny  left;  and  it 
used  to  worry  me  so  that  I  often  wished  we 
did  not  have  missionary  Sunday,  and  I  did  not 
have  to  keep  thinking  about  giving.  But  now 
I  really  like  to  go  to  my  tenth  box  and  take  out 

170 


NEW  IDEAS 

a  piece  of  money  for  the  missionary  collection, 
and  know  that  I  haven't  got  to  study  over  it  and 
decide  whether  or  not  I  can  spare  it,  because 
it  already  belongs.  If  there  were  no  other  rea- 
son for  giving  in  this  way,  than  the  comfort  one 
can  have  in  it,  I  should  vote  for  it.  Now  we 
want  words  from  those  who  have  tried  it,  as  to 
how  they  succeed,  and  what  they  think  of  the 
plan." 

Then  followed  witness  after  witness,  declar- 
ing that  the  plan  of  giving  a  tenth  to  God  had 
been  tried  by  them,  and  proved  helpful  and  in 
every  way  delightful.  One  girl  especially,  with 
a  sweet  face  and  a  wonderfully  clear  voice,  in- 
terested her  hearers. 

"  Most  of  you  know,"  she  said,  "  that  I  have 
very  little  indeed  to  give,  in  money.  It  isn't 
often  that  even  a  ten-cent  piece  that  I  can  call 
my  very  own  gets  into  my  hands.  At  first  I 
thought  I  could  not  join  the  '  Tenth  Legion  ' 
on  this  account ;  but  one  day,  when  I  was  study- 
ing my  Sunday-school  lesson,  it  came  to  me 
that  one  can  give  time  as  well  as  money.  So 

171 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

I  counted  up  the  hours  in  my  day  and  divided 
them  by  ten,  and  I  found  that  I  had  an  hour 
and  a  half  each  day  that  I  ought  to  give  to 
Jesus.  It  made  me  very  happy;  only  first  I 
could  not  think  of  anything  I  could  do  that 
might  be  called  work  for  him;  but  when  I  be- 
gan to  watch  and  plan,  I  found  there  were  ever 
so  many  things  waiting  to  be  done.  Now,  the 
hour  and  a  half  is  not  long  enough  for  what  I 
plan  to  do,  and  I  never  was  so  happy  in  doing, 
in  my  life  before." 

Of  all  the  people  who  listened  to  words  like 
these,  none  were  so  intensely  interested,  and 
for  a  time  so  bewildered,  as  Mag  Jessup.  As 
she  read  very  slowly  in  her  Bible,  and  often 
re-read  the  verses  for  the  night,  so  as  to 
make  quite  sure  that  she  understood  them  as 
well  as  it  was  possible  to  understand  without 
help,  she  had  not  yet  reached  Jacob's  story,  and 
the  motto  was  therefore,  quite  new  to  her.  Still 
the  words  were  plain  enough :  "  Of  all  that 
thou  shalt  give  me,  I  will  surely  give  the  tenth 
unto  thee."  Mag  had  never  studied  arithmetic, 

172 


NEW  IDEAS 

and  knew  nothing  about  fractions.  Still,  she 
had  a  fair  share  of  what  we  call  common  sense, 
and,  before  many  persons  had  spoken,  she 
gathered  that  "  one-tenth  "  meant  a  certain  part 
of  whatever  one  had.  The  idea  of  giving  to 
God  at  all  was  entirely  new  to  her.  All  her 
knowledge  of  him  was  connected  with  his  giv- 
ing to  her.  But  it  was  a  very  pleasant  thought; 
her  eyes  shone  over  it. 

"  It  is  just  like  a  little  girl  making  presents 
to  her  father,"  she  said  to  herself;  "she  takes 
the  money  he  gives  her  and  gets  a  present  for 
him  with  it,  because  she  loves  him,  and  he  likes 
to  have  her  do  it.  How  lovely  in  God  to  let 
people  do  so !  " 

You  will  notice  that  little  Mag  had  a  strange 
way  of  thinking  about  God.  It  was  because 
she  had  never  been  taught  by  any  one  how  to 
speak.  All  her  knowledge  of  God  was  learned 
from  her  one  book,  "  Little  Pillows,"  and  the 
few  Bible  verses  she  knew,  and  the  few  chapters 
she  had  read,  and  by  prayer.  The  result  was 
that  she  constantly  thought  of  him  in  much  the 

J73 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

same  way  that  she  would  of  some  strong,  grand 
human  friend. 

All  through  that  beautiful  meeting  the  talk- 
ing and  the  praying,  and  even  the  singing,  had 
to  do  with  the  one  subject,  "  The  Tenth  " — the 
importance  of  it,  the  duty  of  it,  the  joy  of  it — 
until  Mag,  listening  as,  it  is  safe  to  say,  no 
other  person  listened  there  that  night,  knew  at 
the  close  much  more  than  she  had  when  she 
entered. 

A  very  short  meeting  it  seemed  to  her. 
When,  at  last,  they  arose  and  sang, 

"  God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again," 

sweet  as  the  words  were,  and  much  as  she 
wanted  to  read  them  all,  her  eyes  kept  burning 
with  tears;  she  was  so  very,  very  sorry  that  it 
was  all  getting  done.  But  then,  when  they 
bowed  their  heads  and  prayed  this  prayer, 
"  The  Lord  watch  between  me  and  thee,  when 
we  are  absent  one  from  another,"  Mag  was 
comforted.  She  had  never  heard  that  prayer 
before;  she  never  forgot  it.  For  the  first  time 


NEW  IDEAS 

in  her  life  she  had  felt  herself  prayed  for.  "  Be- 
tween me  and  thee,"  what  could  that  mean  but 
the  leader  and  each  one  present?  And  the 
leader  at  that  time  was  the  minister;  then  the 
minister  had  prayed  for  her ! 

Half  a  dozen  people  gathered  about  Fred- 
erick Ainsworth.  "  So  glad  to  see  you  to-night, 
Fred!"  "Good  for  you,  Frederick!  come 
again."  "  Oh,  Mr.  Ainsworth,  won't  you  be 
sure  to  come  next  Sunday  night?  It  is  our 
temperance  meeting,  and  we  want  to  have  an 
extra  good  time."  These  were  some  of  the 
greetings.  Everybody  seemed  to  know  him. 
He  bethought  himself  once,  and,  turning  to 
look  for  Mag,  said: 

"  Helen,  speak  to  the  mouse  that  I  have  in 
charge.  It  is  little  Mag  Jessup  from  our  house." 
And  then  a  bright-faced  girl  with  merry  eyes 
leaned  toward  her  for  a  moment  and  said  care- 
lessly. "How  do  you  do?  I  am  glad  to  see 
you,"  and  turned  at  once  back  to  Mr.  Fred- 
erick, and  did  not  know  then,  and  perhaps  never 
will  know  or  imagine,  what  an  opportunity  she 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

had  to  speak  a  few  words  of  kindness  to  one  of 
the  Lord's  own  little  ones.  Not  that  she  was 
not  kind  enough ;  she  was  simply  careless. 

"  I  wonder  what  Fred  Ains worth  thought  I 
could  say  to  that  little  Jessup  girl,"  she  said  to 
her  friend  on  the  way  home.  "  I  know  the  lit- 
tle thing;  she  is  errand-girl  at  the  Perkins's, 
the  boarding-house,  you  know.  It  was  funny 
for  Fred  to  bring  her,  wasn't  it?  But  he  is  a 
real  good-natured  boy.  I  never  know  what  to 
say  to  girls  like  that."  And  then  Miss  Helen 
Westervelt,  who  had  been  one  of  the  witnesses 
to  the  joy  of  giving  a  tenth  to  the  Lord,  thought 
no  more  about  Mag  Jessup.  It  would  not  have 
taken  a  sixteenth  part  of  an  hour  to  have 
spoken  a  word  to  Mag  that  might  have  helped 
her  through  all  the  rest  of  her  life. 

Mr.  Fred  Ains  worth  had  to  talk  during  the 
walk  home.  Mag  was  overflowing  with  ques- 
tions that  demanded  replies  of  some  sort. 

"  Who  is  Jacob,  Mr.  Frederick  ?  " 

"  Jacob  ?  I  did  not  see  any  person  to-night 
by  that  name,  so  far  as  I  know." 

176 


NEW  IDEAS 

"  No,  but  the  man  they  talked  about ;  who 
made  that  promise.  They  called  it  his  motto : 
'  Jacob's  motto/  " 

"  Oh !  Why,  that  is  a  Bible  character.  Jacob 
was — let  me  see — well,  for  one  thing,  he  was 
Isaac's  son." 

"  Oh,  is  he?  "  said  Mag,  well  pleased;  "  then 
I  shall  get  to  him  very  soon ;  I  know  Isaac.  But, 
Mr.  Frederick,  just  what  is  a  tenth?  " 

"  It  is  a  tenth,  of  course !  "  said  Frederick, 
laughing.  "  You  are  not  up  on  figures,  are 
you?  Never  mind,  some  day  you  will  have  a 
chance  to  learn.  Suppose  you  had  ten  apples." 
Mag  caught  her  breath  over  the  thought  of  such 
wealth,  but  waited  in  eager  silence. 

"And  you  should  give  one  of  them  to  me; 
then  you  would  have  given  me  a  tenth  of  all 
your  apples.  Do  you  understand  ?  " 

"  I  thought  that  must  be  it !  "  said  Mag  in 
intense  satisfaction.  "  Then,  Mr.  Frederick, 
if  I  had  a  dollar,  a  whole  dollar,  and  took 
Jacob's  motto,  I  would  give  ten  cents  of  it  to 
the  Lord?" 

177 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  That's  it  exactly ;  you  are  not  a  bad  mathe- 
matician, after  all.  How  did  you  work  that 
out?" 

"  Mrs.  Perkins  gave  me  a  dollar,  once,  and 
sent  me  to  the  store  to  get  it  changed  into  ten- 
cent  pieces;  and  I  counted  them  over  a  great 
many  times  to  make  sure  that  I  had  a  dollar's 
worth.  I  thought  of  that  when  they  were  talk- 
ing to-night,  and  it  seemed  as  though  that  must 
be  what  a  tenth  meant.  I  don't  suppose  I  shall 
ever  have  a  dollar,  but  once  I  had  ten  cents  of 
my  very  own ;  but  Mr.  Frederick  " 

"  Yes,  I  am  all  attention." 

"  What  if  I  should,  some  time,  have  ten  cents 
again.  How  could  I  give  a  penny  to  God.  I 
mean,  how  do  people  give  money  to  him  ?  He 
doesn't  need  any  money!  And  if  he  did,  how 
could  we  get  it  to  him  ?  " 

"  What  an  ignorant  little  creature  it  is ! " 
That  was  Fred  Ainsworth's  first  thought;  the 
second  was :  "  What  an  ignorant  hulk  I  am ! 
How  am  I  to  explain  to  her  what  it  means  ?  " 
Then  he  tried. 

178 


NEW  IDEAS 

"  Why,  Mag,  you  know  about  missions, 
don't  you?  There  are  people  who  live  away 
off  in  heathen  lands,  where  they  don't  know 
anything  about  God;  and  people  in  this  coun- 
try, for  that  matter,  who  are  ignorant  of  him; 
well,  more  than  that,  people  who  are  hungry  and 
cold  and  homeless;  certainly  you  know  such?  " 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Mag;  "there  is  Sally  who 
comes  every  Monday  for  cold  pieces,  and  who 
sometimes  cries  because  her  feet  are  so  dread- 
fully cold." 

"  Very  well ;  and  Mrs.  Perkins  fills  her 
basket;  perhaps  she  gives  away  a  tenth  of  her 
food,  for  all  that  I  know.  That  is  what  it 
means." 

He  was  conscious  that  he  was  a  poor  teacher. 
Mag  was  silent,  but  if  he  could  have  seen  her 
face  he  would  have  found  great  perplexity. 
After  a  minute  she  ventured  a  timid  question : 

"  But  Mr.  Frederick,  they  talked  about 
giving  to  God." 

"Well?" 

"  And  Mrs.  Perkins  only  gives  to  Sally." 

179 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  Ah !  I  see.  Why,  Mag,  it  amounts  to  the 
same  thing.  He  counts  it  so,  you  understand. 
Hold  on,  there  is  a  Bible  verse  I  used  to  know 
that  will  explain  it :  '  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it 
unto  one  of  the  least  of  these,  ye  did  it  to  me.' 
That  was  what  Jesus  said ;  and  by  '  the  least ' 
he  meant  the  poorest  and  lowest  and  meanest 
— Sally  and  her  tribe,  for  instance." 

Then  it  is  a  pity  that  he  could  not  have  seen 
Mag's  face ;  it  was  radiant. 

"  Did  he  truly  say  such  words !  "  she  mur- 
mured. "  Does  he  love  people  like  that !  " 

There  was  silence  for  several  minutes.  Fred- 
erick Ainsworth  felt  that  he  had  no  reply  to 
make  to  that  last  question ;  and,  indeed,  Mag's 
tone  indicated  that  it  needed  no  answer;  she 
was  evidently  just  exclaiming  over  the  great- 
ness of  the  thought.  But  she  began  again. 

"  Mr.  Frederick,  I  haven't  a  bit  of  money, 
nor  anything  to  eat  except  what  belongs  to  Mrs. 
Perkins,  and  she  says  I  have  no  right  to  give  it 
away,  and,  of  course,  I  haven't;  how  could  I 
give  a  tenth  ?  " 

180 


NEW  IDEAS 

Mr.  Frederick  laughed  a  little.  "  A  puzzling 
question,  I  will  admit ! "  he  said.  "  I  guess 
you  would  better  wait  until  you  get  hold  of 
something  that  belongs  to  you." 

"  I  was  wondering.  You  know  that  girl 
told  about  giving  a  tenth  of  her  time.  I  do 
have  a  little  time  every  day  that  I  suppose  be- 
longs to  me ;  times  when  I  sit  in  the  hall  and 
wait,  you  know ;  and  often  a  little  while  in  the 
evening;  if  there  was  only  something  that  I 
could  do  then,  for  God."  Oh,  the  wistfulness 
of  Mag's  tone !  "  Couldn't  you  help  me  think 
of  something,  Mr.  Frederick  ?  " 

Frederick  Ainsworth  did  not  laugh,  and  he 
made  no  answer  for  several  seconds;  then  he 
said  in  a  voice  that  sounded  a  trifle  strange: 
"  I'm  afraid  I'm  not  up  in  that  kind  of  thing, 
Mag.  You  need  a  better  teacher." 


181 


CHAPTER  XII 

PEAS  AND  PICNICS 

MARGARET  LANCASTER  moved 
slowly  down  the  stairs,  crossed  the 
wide  hall,  passed  through  the  dining- 
room,  and  came  out  on  the  back  piazza.  She 
looked  as  fresh  as  the  summer  morning  in 
a  dress  of  pale  blue  muslin,  with  dainty  lace 
at  neck,  and  ruffled  sleeves.  Her  pretty  hair, 
that  was  almost  the  color  of  sunshine,  curled 
about  her  neck  and  made  damp  little  rings  of 
itself  on  her  temples.  If  it  had  not  been  for  a 
look  of  discontent  on  her  face,  every  one  who 
noticed  her  would  have  been  sure  that  she  was 
pretty.  The  lines  of  ill-humor,  or  whatever 
feeling  it  was  that  caused  them,  were  more 
strongly  marked  this  morning  than  usual. 

Mag  Jessup  was  sitting  on  the  steps  with  a 
great  basket  of  green  peas  at  her  feet,  and  a 
small  pan  in  her  lap,  from  which  she  was  shell- 

182 


PEAS  AND  PICNICS 

ing  industriously.  Margaret  crossed  to  her  side 
and  stood  looking  down  on  her  for  a  few  min- 
utes in  silence. 

"  Do  you  like  to  do  that?  "  she  asked  at  last. 

Mag  gave  a  little  start,  as  though  her 
thoughts  had  come  back  from  a  long  journey, 
and  said: 

"The  peas,  do  you  mean?  Oh,  yes'm — 
very  much." 

"  I  should  think  it  would  be  awfully  stupid 
work;  baskets  and  pans  full  of  them,  all  just 
alike,  and  all  having  to  be  popped  and  rolled 
out;  I  hate  anything  that  goes  on  and  on 
without  any  end." 

Mag  laughed  pleasantly.  "  These  have  an 
end,"  she  said ;  "  Norah  means  that  the  last  one 
of  them  shall  be  boiling  before  very  long." 

"  They  are  all  just  exactly  alike,"  repeated 
Margaret,  discontentedly.  "  If  I  had  been  go- 
ing to  make  peas,  I  would  have  had  some  of 
them  square,  and  some  oblong,  and  all  sorts  of 
shapes  and  colors,  just  to  give  a  little  relief; 
I  don't  suppose  you  know  what  I  mean." 

183 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"Oh,  yes'm,"  said  Mag,  a  bit  timidly;  "I 
know  oblongs ;  I  found  the  word  in  my  reading, 
and  looked  in  the  dictionary  for  it,  and  I  made 
some  oblongs  out  of  pea-pods,  and  some  squares 
and  triangles;  but  I  don't  think  peas  would  be 
handy,  made  in  that  way;  they  wouldn't  lie 
nicely  together  in  the  kettle  to  boil,  and  would 
take  up  a  great  deal  more  room." 

Margaret  gave  a  half-scornful  little  laugh. 
"  You  are  a  queer  girl !  "  she  said.  "  I  won- 
der where  Mrs.  Perkins  picked  you  up?  Do 
you  have  to  shell  all  the  peas  that  are  eaten  in 
this  house?  " 

"  Almost  all  of  them ;  sometimes  Miss  Kate 
helps  me  when  the  gardener  is  late  with  them; 
and  once  Miss  Ordway  came  down  and  helped 
me  for  quite  awhile;  but  I  almost  always  do 
them  alone." 

"  Do  they  make  you  talk  like  that  all  the 
time?" 

"  Like  what  ?  "  asked  Mag,  looking  up  in 
surprise. 

"  Why,  saying  '  Miss  Kate  '  to  Kate  Perkins; 

184 


PEAS  AND  PICNICS 

she  is  nothing  but  a  girl,  and  a  boarding-  house- 
keeper's daughter  at  that.  I  should  think  you 
would  call  her  '  Kate,'  as  the  others  do." 

Mag  had  no  answer  to  this  that  she  cared  to 
make,  so  there  was  silence  for  some  seconds; 
then  Margaret  began  again : 

"  You  make  your  ringers  go  fast,  I  must  say ; 
what  a  lot  you  have  shelled  since  I  stood  here ! 
I  don't  suppose  it  is  shelling  peas  and  such 
things  that  make  your  hands  so  brown,  is 
it?" 

"  Oh,  no,  ma'am ;  they  were  always  brown ; 
the  sun  makes  them  worse,  I  suppose,  when  I 
pick  berries,  you  know ;  but  brown  is  the  color 
that  belongs  to  them." 

Margaret  laughed.  "  No,  it  isn't,  you  little 
goosie !  "  she  said.  "  If  you  had  a  chance  to 
take  care  of  them,  they  would  be  white  like  that 
space  below  the  line  of  the  dress  you  have  been 
wearing;  this  one  is  lower  necked  and  shows 
the  white  below.  You  are  awfully  tanned,  neck 
and  face  as  well  as  hands  and  arms;  but,  of 

0 

course,  it  doesn't  signify.    And  so  you  are  quite 

185 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

willing    to    keep    on    shelling   peas    all    your 
life?" 

"No,"  said  literal  Mag,  thoughtfully-;  "I 
shouldn't  like  to  do  it  all  my  life,  and  do  noth- 
ing else.  I  should  be  willing  though  to  shell 
some  peas  every  summer.  It  isn't  such  very 
stupid  work,  now  that  I  have  thought  to  make 
it  into  a  kind  of  play." 

"  Play !  How  on  earth  can  you  make  a  play 
out  of  shelling  peas  ?  " 

"  Why,"  said  Mag,  a  little  pink  flush  spread- 
ing over  her  face,  as  it  always  did  when  she 
tried  to  tell  anything  about  herself,  "  I  make 
believe  they  are  people.  Sometimes  I  have 
them  little  children,  ever  so  many,  oh,  hun- 
dreds and  thousands  of  them,  all  dressed  up 
fresh  and  clean,  and  going  in  great  wagons  for 
a  picnic  in  the  woods.  They  all  come  from  the 
city,  where  there  are  no  woods,  and  they  don't 
have  picnics;  and  I  play  that  the  pods  are  the 
cars  that  they  came  in,  and  I  pop  them  out  of 
the  cars  into  the  great  hay-wagon — like  that 
one  they  used  for  the  school-children  the  other 

186 


PEAS  AND  PICNICS 

day — and  I  get  so  eager  and  excited,  helping 
them  all  out  and  getting  them  safely  into  the 
hay-wagon,  that  I  almost  forget  that  they  are 
peas.  Then  when  Norah  takes  a  pan  of  them 
away >  and  gives  me  another  one,  I  say  to  my- 
self :  '  Oh,  here  is  another  hay-wagon  all 
ready!  I  was  afraid  there  wouldn't  be  room 
for  all  to  go!'" 

Mag  had  by  this  time  become  so  interested 
in  her  account  as  to  almost  forget  who  was  her 
listener,  until  Margaret  suddenly  interrupted 
by  a  laugh  that  some  way  did  not  sound  sweet, 
as  all  laughter  should. 

"The  idea!"  she  said.  "If  that  doesn't 
sound  for  all  the  world  like  a  half-witted  crea- 
ture ;  or  a  crazy  one ;  it  is  really  more  like  the 
talk  of  insane  people.  If  you  don't  take  care, 
they  will  be  carrying  you  off  to  the  county 
house  for  a  crazy  pauper.  I  wonder  if  you 
would  make  play  out  of  that?  Well,  go  on. 
What  else  do  you  make  believe?  " 

But  Mag  was  silenced;  not  for  the  world 
would  she  have  told  this  contemptuous  Mar- 

187 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

garet  another  word  about  the  picnic.  What- 
ever happened  to  the  children  after  that  she 
would  have  to  imagine  for  herself. 

"  What  a  disagreeable  little  thing  you  are !  " 
Margaret  said  at  last,  having  tried  in  vain  to 
get  any  more  of  the  story ;  "  and  what  a  pokey 
place  this  is !  I  wish  Fred  Ainsworth  had  been 
in  France  with  his  father  and  mother  before  he 
coaxed  my  aunt  to  come  out  here  instead  of 
going  to  Asbury  Park,  as  I  wanted  to.  I 
wonder  where  Fred  is?  Have  you  seen  him 
since  breakfast  ?  " 

"  I  think  he  has  gone  to  the  grove  with 
Thomas ;  at  least,  Thomas  has  gone  to  see  about 
a  good  place  to  build  the  tables  for  the  picnic; 
and,  when  he  drove  up  just  after  breakfast,  Mr. 
Frederick  was  in  the  wagon  with  him." 

"  Mercy !  gone  away  out  to  the  grove.  Why, 
they  won't  get  back  until  afternoon.  That  is 
just  like  Fred,  coax  me  out  to  this  backwoods 
and  then  run  off  and  leave  me  to  pass  the  time 
away  as  best  I  can.  .  Why  do  you  call  him 
'  Mr.  Frederick  ' ?  Did  he  tell  you  to  do  that?  " 

188 


PEAS  AND  PICNICS 

"  No,  ma'am ;  but  Mrs.  Perkins  did ;  she 
said  that  was  the  way  that  little  girls  should 
speak  of  young  gentlemen  like  him." 

"  Young  gentlemen !  "  mimicked  Margaret, 
with  another  laugh  that  jarred.  "  The  idea  of 
calling  Fred  Ainsworth  a  young  gentleman! 
He  is  nothing  but  a  boy,  and  a  very  tiresome 
one,  sometimes,  if  he  is  my  own  cousin.  To  be 
sure,  he  is  a  few  years  older  than  I;  but  then 
girls  grow  up  a  great  deal  faster  than  boys. 
How  old  are  you  ?  " 

"  I  will  be  fourteen  in  December,"  said  Mag. 

"  The  idea !  I  don't  believe  it.  You  are 
just  hoaxing." 

"  I  don't  know  what  that  word  means,"  said 
Mag,  with  quiet  dignity ;  "  but  I  know  I  al- 
ways tell  the  truth.  I  will  be  fourteen  the 
seventh  day  of  December." 

"  Well,  if  I  ever  saw  such  a  little  runt  in  my 
life!  Stand  up  here  and  let  me  see  how  much 
taller  I  am.  More  than  a  head,  and  I  am  not 
tall  for  my  age.  Why,  Mag  Jessup,  you  are 
older  than  I  am ;  and  look  at  the  difference !  I 

189 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

should  think  you  would  want  to  go  to  school 
and  learn  things,  and  not  be  such  a  dunce  at 
your  age;  but  I  suppose  you  couldn't  do  it  if 
you  wanted  to  ever  so  much.  Haven't  you  any 
folks  of  your  own  at  all  ?  " 

Mag  shook  her  head,  and  the  peas  suddenly 
danced  before  her  eyes  through  a  mist  made  of 
tears  that  wanted  to  come.  Sometimes  it 
seemed  too  dreadful  to  this  lonely  little  girl  that 
she  had  "  no  folks  at  all." 

"  Well,"  said  Margaret,  after  a  moment's  si- 
lence, "  then  I  suppose  it  doesn't  matter  much 
about  your  knowing  things.  Servants  do  not 
have  to  be  educated,  and  you  will  have  to  be  a 
servant,  I  presume,  always.  They  are  very 
good,  useful  people,  I  am  sure." 

This  she  said  with  an  honest  desire  to  com- 
fort the  little  brown  girl  whose  eyes  she  saw 
were  dimmed  with  unshed  tears.  Then  she 
murmured  once  more  that  she  did  wish  Fred 
Ains worth  had  known  enough  to  stay  at  home 
and  amuse  her;  it  was  the  least  he  could  have 
done  after  bringing  her  to  such  a  barbarous 

190 


PEAS  AND  PICNICS 

place.  After  that  she  sauntered  off  and  lounged 
in  the  hammock  under  the  chestnut-trees  with  a 
book. 

Mag  Jessup  finished  her  peas  and  carried 
them  to  Norah;  her  face  was  grave,  and  dur- 
ing all  the  rest  of  the  shelling  she  knew  in  her 
sorrowful  little  heart  that  they  were  peas,  and 
not  happy  children  in  fresh  dresses  being  tum- 
bled into  fragrant  hay-carts.  Having  parted 
company  with  them,  she  set  the  tables  in  the 
great  dining-room,  and  rubbed  the  silver,  and 
scraped  the  potatoes,  and  polished  the  glasses, 
and  did  dozens  of  other  very  useful  things, 
without  once  attempting  to  make  the  silver  into 
English  lords  and  ladies,  with  the  kitchen 
knives  for  their  servants,  nor  considering  the 
polished  glasses  great  pearls  and  diamonds  that 
the  lords  and  ladies  were  to  wear.  They  were 
just  dishes,  and  she  was  a  servant,  and  was  al- 
ways to  be  a  servant.  That  part  was  not  so 
hard  to  poor  Mag  as  the  information  that  serv- 
ants did  not  have  to  know  things.  Down 
deep  in  the  heart  of  this  little  girl  was  a  desire 

191 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

to  know  things.  To  go  to  school,  sometime, 
and  become  almost  as  wise,  perhaps,  as  Mr. 
Frederick  himself.  Of  course,  it  would  take 
years  and  years,  but  she  had  actually  allowed 
her  mind  to  dream  much  in  that  direction.  She 
did  not  hint  to  Margaret  Lancaster  that  she, 
the  young  woman  who  was  helping  all  those 
children  into  the  hay-wagons,  was  actually 
their  teacher,  who  had  come  to  the  country 
with  them  for  the  purpose  of  caring  for  and 
giving  them  pleasure!  She  would  not  for  the 
world  have  breathed  the  great  secret,  yet  this 
was  really  the  height  to  which  her  imagination 
had  led  her.  And  now,  behold,  she  was  always 
to  be  a  servant,  and  servants  did  not  have  to  be 
educated !  She  considered  that  problem  all  the 
while  she  was  polishing  the  glasses.  She  was 
painfully  afraid  that  Margaret  Lancaster  was 
right.  Norah  was  not  educated ;  she  had  asked 
her,  once,  something  about  Queen  Elizabeth, 
and  she  had  declared  that  she  never  heard  of 
her,  and  didn't  believe  there  was  any  such 
queen.  Jane,  the  chamber-maid,  had  stood  her 

192 


PEAS  AND  PICNICS  . 

test  no  better ;  and  as  for  Joe,  he  could  not  even 
read!  The  more  Mag  thought  about  it,  the 
more  sorrowful  she  grew.  Perhaps  servants 
ought  not  to  be  educated;  and  perhaps  God 
had  planned  that  she  should  be  a  servant.  Life 
certainly  had  many  hard  places  for  poor  Mag. 
Only  that  morning,  sitting  among  the  children, 
helping  them  from  the  cars  into  that  splendid 
shining  wagon,  she  had  been  so  happy,  and  had 
assured  herself  earnestly  that  some  day,  when 
she  knew  a  great  deal  and  had  earned  a  lot  of 
money,  she  would  bring  a  carload  of  children 
to  the  country,  and  do  just  these  lovely  things 
for  them;  and  then  Margaret  Lancaster  had 
come  and  put  out  her  sunshine. 

It  was  August,  and  Mrs.  Perkins  had  been 
at  her  country  boarding  house  since  the  first 
of  June.  Quite  a  number  of  her  city  boarders 
had  come  with  her.  Among  them,  much  to  his 
disappointment,  Frederick  Ainsworth  himself; 
that  is,  he  was  disappointed  that  his  father  and 
mother,  instead  of  returning  home  that  spring, 
as  he  had  hoped,  must  still  remain  abroad.  But 

193 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

if  he  must  board,  he  preferred  Mrs.  Perkins  to 
making  new  acquaintances,  and  the  out  and  out 
country,  as  he  called  it,  rather  than  any  famous 
seaside  resort.  So  he  had  coaxed  his  Aunt 
Helen,  with  whom  vacations  were  to  be  spent 
until  his  parents  returned,  to  come  to  River- 
view  Cottage  with  Mrs.  Perkins.  This  was,  as 
has  been  seen,  much  to  his  Cousin  Margaret's 
disgust.  She  wanted  to  go,  instead,  to  the  Re- 
vere House  at  Asbury  Park,  and  never  wearied 
of  telling  Frederick  what  fun  it  had  been,  last 
summer,  to  sit  in  the  parlors  during  the 
"  hops  "  and  watch  the  dancers.  His  Cousin 
Margaret  was  also  in  charge  of  her  Aunt 
Helen,  for  her  mother  was  abroad,  seeking 
health  for  an  invalid  son.  So  Aunt  Helen,  be- 
sides her  own  little  daughter  Natalie,  had  the 
care  of  Margaret  and  Frederick  for  the  season. 
Little  Mag  Jessup  would  have  been  astonished 
over  the  idea  that  any  one  should  have  to  care 
for  "  Mr.  Frederick,"  but  the  truth  was  that 
his  Aunt  Helen  considered  him  quite  a  respon- 

194 


PEAS  AND  PICNICS 

sibility,    and    was    often    anxious    about    his 
future. 

Miss  Ordway  was  also  for  a  few  weeks  at 
Riverview  Cottage,  and  expected,  in  a  very  few 
days,  certain  friends  of  hers,  toward  whose 
coming  Margaret  Lancaster  was  looking  with 
the  deepest  interest.  She  had  confided  to  Mag 
Jessup  the  news  that  they  were  very  rich,  and 
had  magnificent  clothes,  and  no  end  of  jewelry, 
and  had  been  abroad  for  years.  Mag  rejoiced 
in  all  these  things.  She  loved  to  look  at  people 
who  wore  pretty  clothes,  and  she  loved  the 
sparkle  of  jewels,  and  she  rejoiced,  above  all 
things,  in  the  thought  that  she  should  see  people 
who  had  "  been  abroad."  For  she  had  learned 
that  "  abroad "  meant,  perhaps,  the  places 
where  all  her  dear  lords  and  ladies  in  the  Eng- 
lish history  lived  and  flourished.  What  could 
not  people  who  had  actually  been  there  tell  her 
about  them,  if  only  she  could  manage  to  ask  a 
few  questions,  or,  perhaps,  overhear  their  talk 
when  they  were  telling  others?  Besides  these 

195 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

old  acquaintances  and  expected  friends,  there 
were  a  dozen  other  boarders;  most  of  them 
quiet,  elderly  ladies,  who  liked  Riverview  Cot- 
tage because  it  was  quiet.  Margaret  Lancaster 
disliked  it  for  that  very  reason,  although  there 
were  two  or  three  pleasant  young  fellows  of  her 
Cousin  Frederick's  age,  and  a  couple  of  pleas- 
ant girls  a  year  or  two  older  than  herself.  For 
some  reason  that  Mag  Jessup  did  not  under- 
stand, Miss  Margaret  did  not  take  kindly  to 
these  young  people,  and  openly  announced  that 
she  "  hoped  with  all  her  heart "  the  expected 
comers  would  not  be  "  so  stupid." 

No  wonder  Mag  had  planned  a  picnic  for 
her  thousands  of  little  city  children,  for  the  air 
was  full  of  picnic  plans.  Hay-wagons,  too, 
were  to  be  called  into  service.  The  very  next 
day  the  young  people  from  the  cottage  were  in- 
vited to  join  a  party  of  young  people  from  the 
village,  and  drive  to  a  certain  bend  in  the  river, 
near  which  was  a  lovely  grove  of  wide-spread- 
ing trees,  and  a  natural  table  made  of  stone, 
upon  which  to  spread  the  good  things  they 

196 


PEAS  AND  PICNICS 

would  take  thither  in  baskets;  to  say  nothing 
of  numberless  "  easy  chairs,"  "  settees,"  "  cozy 
corners,"  and  any  other  pet  name  one  chose  to 
give  the  seats  that  had,  at  some  time  in  the  long 
ago,  apparently  been  hewn  out  of  solid  rock. 
It  required  some  imagination  to  see  a  strong 
resemblance  always  to  easy  chairs  and  "  cush- 
ions " ;  but  Mag  Jessup,  who  longed  exceed- 
ingly to  get  a  view  of  the  enchanted  spot,  and 
who  never  could  get  time  to  tramp  the  five 
miles  and  view  it  for  herself,  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  imagining  just  how  the  stone  furniture 
looked,  and  indeed  would  have  been  able  to  peo- 
ple the  rocks  with  kings  and  queens  and  dukes 
of  the  long  ago  if  she  had  been  called  upon. 

Poor  Mag!  the  nearest  she  expected  to  come 
to  the  picnic  was  to  seed  the  raisins  and  beat  the 
eggs  for  the  cakes  that  were  being  made  for  the 
occasion,  and  do  a  hundred  other  small  things 
toward  their  getting  ready.  Of  course,  no  one 
thought  of  such  a  thing  as  Mag  Jessup  going  to 
the  picnic.  Mag  looked  with  much  awe  upon 
Margaret  Lancaster  because  she  curled  her  lip 

197 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

at  the  whole  affair,  and  pronounced  it  "  country 
to  the  last  degree !  "  What  wonderful  things 
must  Margaret  have  enjoyed  if  she  could  de- 
spise such  a  day's  pleasure  as  this !  Such  was 
Mag  Jessup's  reasoning. 


198 


CHAPTER  XIII 

WHITE   DRESSES 

THE  picnic  party,   those  of  them   who 
went  from  Mrs.  Perkins's  house,  had 
just    been    directed    to    be    ready    to 
start  "  in  fifteen  minutes  at  the  outside,"  when 
Harry     Porter     came     hurrying     across     the 
meadow  and  bounded  up  the  piazza,  stairs  two 
steps  at  a  time  to  speak  to  Margaret  Lancaster 
and  her  cousin  Fred  Ainsworth. 

"  Neelie  Saunders  isn't  well  enough  to  go," 
he  said,  making  pauses  between  his  words  to 
catch  his  breath ;  "  that  leaves  a  vacant  seat, 
and  I  rushed  over  as  fast  as  I  could  gallop  to 
see  what  you  would  all  think  of  letting  that  lit- 
tle girl  who  lives  here  go  in  her  place." 

"  What  little  girl  ?  "  came  quickly  from  the 
lips  of  Margaret.  Other  members  of  the  picnic 
party,  meantime,  came  hurrying  up  to  hear  any 
news  that  might  have  been  brought. 

199 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  Why,  Mag — something  or  other ;  I  don't 
know  that  I  ever  heard  the  rest  of  her  name; 
the  little  girl  who  lives  with  Mrs.  Perkins.  She 
is  a  nice",  trim  little  thing,  and,  of  course,  she 
would  like  to  go.  She  came  from  a  city,  where 
they  don't  have  rivers,  and  groves,  and  things." 

"  The  idea !  "  said  Margaret. 

"  Of  course,  it  is  an  idea,"  said  her  cousin 
Frederick,  "  and  a  very  good  one." 

"  I  don't  see  any  objection  to  it,"  said  Anna 
Woodruff ;  "  she  is  small  enough,  certainly ; 
she  won't  take  up  much  room;  and  she  is  a 
quiet  little  mouse  and  won't  annoy  anybody. 
I'm  awfully  sorry  for  poor  Neelie;  she  was  so 
determined  to  be  well  enough  to  go." 

"  I  think  it  is  a  perfectly  absurd  idea !  "  said 
Margaret.  "  She  never  goes  out  with  us  girls, 
nor  with  any  other  girls,  for  that  matter." 

"  All  the  more  reason  why  she  should  have  a 
chance  to  go  to  this  picnic,"  said  Frederick, 
coolly. 

Margaret  ignored  his  interruption.  "  She 
is  just  Mrs.  Perkins's  servant,  and  hasn't  the 

200 


WHITE  DRESSES 

least  idea  of  belonging  to  our  society;  to  let 
her  go  would  just  be  putting  ridiculous  notions 
into  her  mind;  and  Mrs.  Perkins  wouldn't 
thank  us  to  do  that." 

"  Margaret,  don't  be  absurd ! "  said  her 
cousin,  impatiently.  "  What  particular  '  no- 
tions '  could  a  little  girl  get  by  going  with  a 
company  of  other  girls  and  boys  to  a  picnic  ?  I 
say,  have  her  go  by  all  means,  if  Mrs.  Perkins 
will  spare  her.  Who  will  go  and  interview 
the  lady?" 

"  I  most  certainly  shall  not,"  said  Margaret, 
drawing  her  fresh  white  lawn  away  from  her 
cousin's  side  as  though  contact  with  him  in  his 
present  mood  might  soil  it ;  "I  should  expect 
her  to  think  that  I  had  suddenly  become  idiotic. 
She  needs  her  servants,  of  course,  when  her 
house  is  full  of  boarders.  Mag  is  in  the  garden 
this  minute  picking  berries,  and  looking  like  a 
scarecrow.  She  hasn't  anything  to  wear  to  a 
picnic,  and  she  would  have  no  one  to  be  around 
with,  if  she  went.  Besides  being  a  silly  idea, 
it  is  a  real  unkind  one.  Mag  is  happy  enough 

2OI 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

where  she  is,  but  she  would  be  miserable  in  our 
company." 

"  What  a  mean  set  we  must  be !  "  said  Fred- 
erick; and  while  Harry  Porter  laughed  at  his 
significant  tone,  Anna  Woodruff,  who  was  gen- 
erally an  echo  of  somebody,  decided  that  this 
time  she  ought  to  try  to  echo  Margaret. 

"  I  suppose  it  would  be  hard  for  Mrs.  Per- 
kins to  spare  her,"  she  said  timidly;  "  I 
shouldn't  like  to  ask  her ;  Mag  is  real  industri- 
ous and  does  a  great  deal  every  day.  Besides, 
as  Margaret  says,  she  probably  couldn't  go, 
anyway,  because  she  hasn't  proper  things  to 
wear." 

"  Girls  always  make  such  a  time  about 
'  things  to  wear  ' !  "  said  Harry  Porter. 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  a  clear  voice  just  over 
their  heads,  "  you  talked  so  loud  that  I  could  not 
help  overhearing.  I  will  ask  Mrs.  Perkins  if 
you  would  like  to  have  me.  I  think  it  would 
be  very  kind  in  you  to  give  little  Mag  an  outing 
of  this  sort." 

"  Oh,  Miss  Ordway !  "  said  Frederick,  wheel- 

202 


WHITE  DRESSES 

ing  around  and  stepping  towards  her  window, 
"you  are  just  the  one;  Mrs.  Perkins  always 
does  things  for  you.  Do  you  suppose  she  could 
be  got  ready  in  about  ten  minutes  ?  because  we 
ought  to  be  off.  The  others  will  be  waiting 
for  us  at  the  turn." 

He  meant,  get  Mag  ready,  not  Mrs.  Perkins, 
but  was  so  eager  that  he  paid  little  attention  to 
his  pronouns. 

"  I  guess  they  will  have  to  wait  one  while !  " 
murmured  Margaret.  "  The  girl  has  been 
crawling  through  the  wet  bushes  and  tramping 
over  the  plowed  ground  until  she  is  a  sight  to 
behold.  I  don't  believe  the  Lyman  girls  would 
go  if  they  knew  of  the  addition  to  our  com- 
pany; they  are  not  used  to  associating  with 
servants." 

Her  cousin  turned  upon  her  almost  fiercely; 
his  patience  was  utterly  exhausted. 

"  Margaret,  I  wish  you  would  not  be  such  a 
hopeless  idiot!  Who  do  you  suppose  cares 
what  a  little  girl  does  to  earn  her  living?  She 
has  no  one  to  do  it  for  her  as  you  and  I  have; 

203 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

I  am  sure  it  is  much  more  sensible  in  her  to 
earn  it  in  some  way  than  it  would  be  to 
fold  her  hands  and  let  strangers  take  care  of 
her." 

"  I  did  not  say  it  wasn't,"  Margaret  an- 
swered sullenly ;  "  all  I  say  is  that  I  do  not 
think  it  is  necessary  to  associate  with  her ;  she 
does  not  belong  to  our  set." 

"  Fiddlesticks !  You  have  heard  some  silly 
girl  from  a  set  that  hasn't  an  ounce  of  brains 
among  them  go  on  in  that  way  or  you  wouldn't 
do  it.  You  needn't  associate  with  Mag,  as  you 
call  it ;  go  off  in  a  corner  and  flock  by  yourself, 
if  you  want  to;  I'll  answer  for  it  that  Mag 
doesn't  trouble  anybody  else ;  they  all  have  too 
much  sense." 

He  was  not  gentlemanly,  I  will  admit;  but 
Margaret  and  her  "  airs,"  as  he  called  them, 
had  been  a  great  trial  to  him  that  summer.  Her 
aunt  sighed  over  the  fact  that  Margaret's  sum- 
•mer  friends  that  she  had  met  at  Hotel  Revere 
had  been  an  injury  to  her,  and  her  cousin  Fred- 
erick was  sure  of  it ;  he  had  declared,  some  days 

204 


WHITE  DRESSES 

before,  that  Margaret  needed  severe  measures 
of  some  sort  to  bring  her  back  to  common  sense. 
Perhaps  it  was  in  that  way  that  he  excused 
himself  for  his  manifest  rudeness. 

Meantime,  Miss  Ordway  was  busy.  Mrs. 
Perkins  had  stared  at  the  proposition  to  have 
Mag  go  to  the  picnic.  She  had  even  said  "  The 
idea !  "  in  much  the  same  tone  that  Margaret 
Lancaster  had  used  when  she  said  it.  She  had 
also  told  her  daughter  Annie  that  Miss  Ordway 
and  Fred  Ainsworth  between  them  would  ruin 
that  child;  nevertheless,  she  had  admitted  to 
Miss  Ordway  that  she  could  spare  her  better  on 
that  day  than  any  other,  and  that  she  supposed 
it  would  do  no  harm  to  give  her  a  day  in 
the  woods,  though,  goodness  knew,  she  didn't 
have  much  to  do  any  day  but  race  around  the 
garden,  or  sit  on  the  back  steps  in  the  shade  and 
enjoy  herself!  Mrs.  Perkins,  hard-worked 
woman  of  many  cares  that  she  was,  honestly 
thought  that  the  most  Mag  had  to  do  was  to 
shell  a  few  peas,  and  pick  a  few  berries,  and  en- 
joy herself!  But  Mrs.  Perkins  approved  of 

205 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

doing,  as  often  as  she  could,  what  Miss  Ordway 
and  Fred  Ainsworth  wanted  done. 

"  The  child  hasn't  anything  fit  to  wear,"  she 
said  anxiously;  "  her  blue  calico  is  in  the  wash, 
and  her  other  dress  needs  mending.  I  don't 
calculate  to  keep  her  dressed  ready  for  picnics ; 
and  she  isn't  worth  sixpence  to  do  her  own 
mending:  I  never  saw  a  girl  of  her  age  who 
had  so  little  sense  with  a  needle." 

Poor  Mag !  Nobody  had  ever  sat  down  be- 
side her  for  a  single  half-hour  of  her  life  and 
patiently  tried  to  show  her  how  to  use  her 
needle.  The  moment  Miss  Ordway  heard  this, 
she  thought  of  another  thing  she  could  do  for 
Mag,  and  wondered  that  it  had  not  occurred  to 
her  before. 

"  I'll  see  to  the  dress,"  she  said  promptly. 
"  I  have  been  amusing  my  leisure  half-hours  for 
some  time  in  fixing  over  an  old  dress  of  mine 
for  Mag.  I  finished  it  only  yesterday,  and  it 
will  be  the  very  thing  for  the  picnic." 

Behold,  the  dress  was  white !  Not  very  fine, 
not  very  new.  Miss  Ordway,  well  as  she  knew 

206 


WHITE  DRESSES 

Mag  by  this  time,  was  not  prepared  for  the 
ecstatic  delight  of  the  little  girl.  Even  the 
wonder  of  actually  going  to  a  picnic  in  a  great 
hay-wagon  with  the  others  seemed  lost  in  the 
pleasure  of  the  new  dress. 

"  Why,  Mag,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  smiling, 
as  she  saw  the  small  brown  ringers  tremble  while 
she  handled  it ;  "I  did  not  know  you  were  so 
fond  of  dress.  You  must  not  let  it  spoil  you, 
as  Mrs.  Perkins,  I  am  afraid,  thinks  it  will." 

Mag  looked  at  her  with  great,  wondering 
eyes. 

"  How  could  it,  ma'am  ?  "  she  asked  simply. 
"  I  am  afraid  I  shall  spoil  it;  the  dirt  gets  on 
things  so!  though  I  try  ever  so  hard  not  to 
have  it.  Is  that  what  you  meant  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  laughing;  "I 
meant  just  as  I  said,  that  the  dress  might  spoil 
you ;  and  you  don't  even  understand  what  such 
an  idea  means !  " 

Then,  in  response  to  the  wistful  look  in 
Mag's  eyes,  which  said  as  plainly  as  words 
could  have  done,  "  There  are  so  many  things 

207 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

that  I  don't  understand !  If  people  would  only 
explain,  instead  of  laughing  at  me  "  :  "  Mag, 
some  people  like  dresses,  and  ribbons,  and  things 
of  that  sort,  so  much  that  they  make  more  of 
them  than  they  should;  think  about  them  too 
much,  I  mean,  and  grow  vain  because  they  have 
prettier  things  than  others,  or  jealous  because 
they  haven't  them.  Do  you  understand  ?  " 

"  Yes'm,"  said  Mag,  gravely.  "  Perhaps  I 
might  get  that  way  about  dresses,  if  there  were 
not  so  many  other  things.  Sometimes  I  am 
'most  afraid  I  shall  get  so  about  going  to 
school."  Mag's  voice  had  suddenly  grown  low 
and  sad,  but  her  eyes  brightened  again  as  they 
fell  on  the  dress,  and  she  said  eagerly :  "  But  I 
am  glad,  glad,  that  I  have  a  white  dress.  Oh, 
Miss  Ordway,  you  can  not  think  how  glad  I 
am!" 

"  Do  you  like  white  so  much?  "  asked  Miss 
Ordway,  gently. 

"  Yes'm,  I  do ;  but  it  isn't  that.  I  read  about 
them  only  two  or  three  days  ago,  and  I  couldn't 
help  wishing  then  that  I  had  just  one  white 

208 


WHITE  DRESSES 

dress  to  help  me  remember  them,  and  I — I 
prayed  about  it " — Mag's  voice  dropped  again 
to  almost  a  whisper,  and  her  face  took  on  a 
look  of  reverent  awe — "  doesn't  it  almost  seem 
wicked,  Miss  Ordway,  to  talk  to  God  about  a 
white  dress?  But  it  says  so  in  the  Bible,  you 
know;  I  mean  it  says  to  ask  for  anything  you 
want,  and  Mr.  Frederick  said  it  couldn't  be 
wrong  to  ask,  if  you  were  willing  to  have  God 
do  just  as  he  thought  best  about  it;  and  so  I 
prayed  for  a  white  dress;  and  I  didn't  see  how 
he  could  get  me  one,  and  here  it  is ! "  Words 
will  not  describe  the  delight  in  Mag's  voice. 
Miss  Ordway  fastened  the  wonderful  dress  in 
silence ;  she  really  did  not  know  what  to  say  to 
this  queer  little  girl. 

"  What  do  you  mean,"  she  asked  at  last, 
"  when  you  say  you  read  about  them  in  the 
Bible  ?  You  did  not  find  anything  in  the  Bible 
about  dresses,  did  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  ma'am,  yes,  indeed !  don't  you  re- 
member ?  It  is  all  on  one  of  the  cards  you  gave 
me.  Miss  Annie  Perkins  said  it  was  a  descrip- 

209 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

tion  of  heaven.  The  man  who  is  telling  about 
it  said  that  he  saw  a  great  many  people — oh, 
ever  so  many!  no  one  could  count  them — and 
all  of  them  were  dressed  in  white.  And  some- 
body asked  him  who  they  all  were,  and  he 
couldn't  tell ;  then  the  angel — I  think  it  was  an 
angel,  Miss  Ordway ;  it  was  somebody  in  heaven 
— told  him  that  they  were  people  who  had 
washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb.  I  couldn't  think  what  that 
meant,  and  one  night  I  asked  Mr.  Frederick, 
and  he  told  me  it  was  people  who  made  up  their 
minds  to  belong  to  Jesus  and  love  him  and  obey 
him.  Then  I  knew  that  I  was  one  of  them ;  and 
ever  since  that  I  have  wanted  a  white  dress." 

Was  ever  stranger  talk  than  this  while  get- 
ting ready  for  a  picnic  ?  Once  more  Miss  Ord- 
way did  not  in  the  least  know  what  to  say.  She 
had  to  smile  a  little  over  the  thought  that  Fred 
Ainsworth  had  to  be  called  upon  to  explain 
Bible  verses  to  this  queer  little  girl.  Privately 
she  did  not  believe  that  he  knew  any  more  about 
the  Bible  than  she  did. 

2IO 


WHITE  DRESSES 

"  You  are  an  odd  little  girl,"  was  all  she  had 
for  Mag's  ears;  and  that  small  person  heard 
something  of  the  kind  so  often  that  it  made  her 
very  anxious  to  know  what  people  meant.  How- 
ever, there  was  time  for  no  more  talk.  The 
picnic  people  were  shouting  loudly  that  it  was 
quite  time  they  were  off;  and  Margaret  Lan- 
caster was  heard  declaring  that  they  would  bet- 
ter postpone  the  picnic  until  the  next  day,  and 
give  all  the  servants  a  chance  to  get  ready.  Her 
cousin  shot  an  indignant  glance  at  her,  which 
changed  to  a  triumphant  one  as  Mag  came  to 
the  piazza.  Her  white  dress  fitted  to  a  charm ; 
she  wore  a  pink  sash,  and  pink  ribbons  tied 
back  her  hair ;  and  the  neat  brown  hat  matched 
the  entire  suit  perfectly.  Certainly  Mag  Jessup 
would  not  disgrace  them  with  her  dress.  Even 
Margaret  gave  her  a  swift,  almost  admiring 
glance;  the  little  girl  in  white  and  pink  looked 
so  very  different  from  the  barefooted  girl  in 
dingy  blue  that  she  had  seen  in  the  berry  patch 
that  morning.  It  was  then  that  Mrs.  Perkins, 
looking  out  at  Mag,  told  her  daughter  Annie 

211 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

that  Miss  Ordway  and  Fred  Ainsworth  be- 
tween them  would  spoil  that  child. 

Kate  Perkins  had  not  been  with  the  group  on 
the  piazza,  and  it  chanced  that  her  first  knowl- 
edge that  Mag  was  to  be  of  the  party  came 
when  they  were  getting  into  the  hay-wagon. 

"  Why,  Mag  Jessup !  "  she  exclaimed  pleas- 
antly, as  she  turned  back  for  a  second  look ;  "  if 
it  made  as  much  difference  in  me  to  dress  me  up 
as  it  does  in  you,  I  should  stay  dressed  up  all  the 
time.  So  you  are  really  going  to  the  picnic! 
I'm  glad  of  it.  I  told  mother  last  night  that  I 
wished  there  was  some  way  for  you  to  go.  How 
did  it  happen  ?  " 

"  I  don't  half  know,"  said  Mag,  gleefully. 
"  Such  lovely  things  are  happening  to  me  all 
the  time  that  I  don't  half  know  myself.  Where 
shall  I  sit,  Mr.  Frederick?" 

"  Plump  down  anywhere,"  said  Frederick, 
cordially ;  "  perhaps  Kate  can  make  room  for 
you  on  her  seat,  and  for  me  on  the  other  side." 

It  was  the  first  time  in  his  life  that  he  had 
paid  the  slightest  attention  to  Kate  Perkins. 

212 


WHITE  DRESSES 

Truth  to  tell,  heretofore  he  had  thought  her 
really  not  worth  his  notice ;  but,  since  she  could 
speak  so  cordially  to  the  little  girl  who  some- 
way seemed  to  be  especially  his  charge  on  this 
day,  and  had  frankly  owned  that  she  had 
thought  about  her  and  wished  that  she  could 
go,  Mr.  Fred  decided  that  there  was  more  to 
Kate  Perkins  than  there  was  to  half  a  dozen 
Margaret  Lancasters,  if  the  latter  was  his 
cousin.  So  Kate  Perkins,  with  a  radiant  face, 
made  room  for  Fred  Ainsworth,  who  was  de- 
cidedly the  favorite  boy  oi  the  party,  to  take  a 
seat  between  her  and  little  Mag ;  and  the  picnic 
goers  were  off. 


213 


CHAPTER  XIV 

SUNSHINE   AND    CLOUDS 

DESPITE  Margaret  Lancaster's  very 
evident  disapproval  of  this  addition 
to  their  party,  Mag  Jessup  managed 
to  have  an  excellent  time.  Mr.  Frederick  and 
Miss  Kate  between  them  kept  her  happy  and 
merry  during  the  ride.  Indeed,  they  were 
astonished  over  the  merry  spirit  that  bubbled 
out  at  this  first  opportunity,  and  decided,  as 
they  stood  together  after  the  ride,  that  Mag 
was  not  only  a  "  nice  little  thing,"  but  was 
"  real  cute." 

At  the  grove  her  good  times  continued.  The 
truth  was,  she  was  looking  out  for  good  times, 
and  expecting  them ;  therefore  she  found  them. 
It  is  true  that  Margaret  took  not  so  much  no- 
tice of  her  as  she  would  have  done  of  a  little 
brown  dog,  but  Mag  was  not  used  to  being 
noticed,  and  did  not  think  anything  about  her. 

214 


SUNSHINE  AND  CLOUDS 

She  ran  hither  and  thither  among  the  groups, 
making  herself  useful  by  carrying  a  fan  to  this 
one,  a  glass  of  water  to  another,  and  picking  up 
a  handkerchief  for  a  third.  Before  the  morn- 
ing was  half  over,  it  had  become  natural  to 
say :  "  Here,  little  one,  run  to  the  wagon  for  a 
cushion,  will  you  ?  "  Or,  "  I  say,  Mag,  suppose 
you  bring  up  that  basket  of  fruit;  that's  a 
good  girl."  Even  Margaret  sent  her  down  to 
the  spring  for  a  fresh  drink  of  water,  and  re- 
marked loud  enough  for  her  to  hear,  had  she 
been  listening,  that  she  did  not  know  but  it  was 
a  good  idea  to  have  a  servant  along  to  do  the 
errands.  But  Mag's  attention  was  at  that  mo- 
ment attracted  by  the  singing  of  a  wonderful 
bird  in  the  tree  overhead,  and  she  did  not  hear 
her.  If  she  had,  she  would  not  have  minded;  she 
knew  she  was  a  servant,  and  she  did  not  know 
that  there  was  anything  disgraceful  in  being 
called  so.  I  think,  however,  that  she  would 
have  noticed  that  Margaret's  tone  was  not  kind, 
and  that  she  did  not  mean  pleasant  things.  It 
was  great  fun  to  get  the  dinner  ready ;  to  plunge 

215 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

into  the  various  baskets  and  find  good  things 
and  distribute  them  on  the  large  table-cloth 
spread  on  the  great  stone  table.  All  the  girls 
enjoyed  helping  at  this,  and  Mag  was  only  al- 
lowed to  run  of  errands,  and  watch  the  corn 
that  was  roasting,  and  do  things  of  that  kind. 
At  table  Frederick  Ainsworth  was  again  mind- 
"ful  of  her,  and  seated  her  near  himself  with  a 
good-natured  Lyman  girl  on  the  other  side.  It 
proved  that  the  Lyman  girls,  though  their  father 
was  a  great  man  and  a  Judge,  did  not  seem 
to  be  in  the  least  troubled  because  little  Mag 
Jessup  was  along,  but  were  very  good-natured 
and  friendly  whenever  they  chanced  to  be  near 
her. 

To  set  the  table  for  a  picnic  is  one  thing,  and 
to  clear  off  and  pack  the  remnants  of  the  feast 
away  in  baskets,  and  arrange  the  dishes  so 
that  they  will  not  break,  is  quite  another. 
Not  a  girl  in  the  group  wanted  to  touch  the 
table. 

"  Miserable  sticky  things !  "  said  one,  survey- 

216 


SUNSHINE  AND  CLOUDS 

ing  the  empty  cake-plates  with  disdain,  "  they 
ought  to  be  washed." 

"  Mercy  knows  I'm  glad  they  can't  be!  "  ex- 
claimed another.  "  If  there  is  anything  that  is 
horrid,  it  is  washing  dishes." 

"  These  might  be  rinsed  off  at  the  river,  so 
as  to  get  rid  of  the  worst  stickiness,"  said  one 
of  the  Lyman  girls,  "  if  anybody  had  energy 
enough  to  attempt  it." 

"  Don't  mention  it !  "  said  Kate  Perkins, 
from  her  perch  on  one  of  the  highest  rocks. 
"  Norah  and  Jane  will  look  after  all  our  stick- 
iness. The  great  thing  is  to  get  them  piled  back 
into  their  baskets.  Who  will  do  that?  I'm 
horrid  at  packing  away  dishes ;  they  always  get 
broken,  and  the  table-cloths  always  come  and 
poke  themselves  in  where  they  will  get  the  most 
stains  on  them.  I  say,  girls,  after  we  have  got 
rid  of  the  dishes,  let  us  go  up  the  road  to  the 
gypsy  camp.  I  think  it  would  be  great  fun  to 
have  our  fortunes  told.  The  boys  have  gone 
off  to  get  apples.  I  heard  them  talking  about 

217 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

it;  they  are  going  across  lots  away  over  to  a 
farm  where  one  of  them  is  acquainted.  They 
won't  be  back  this  age;  we  must  do  something 
to  amuse  ourselves." 

"  It's  too  far  to  walk  over  to  the  gypsy 
camp,"  objected  Margaret  Lancaster ;  "  but  we 
might  ride.  I  can  drive  those  ponies  that  we 
came  with." 

Here  little  Mag  thought  it  time  to  speak. 

"  Mr.  Frederick  said  we  mustn't  any  of  us 
touch  the  ponies,"  she  began  earnestly ;  "he 
said  they  hadn't  been  driven  for  a  few  days,  and 
the  man  told  him  they  were  frisky." 

"  Oh,  he  did ! "  said  Margaret,  tossing  her 
head  in  disdain ;  "  then  we  will  be  sure  to  go. 
'  Mr.  Frederick,'  as  you  call  him,  doesn't  know 
everything,  though  I  verily  believe  you  think  he 
does.  Those  ponies  are  about  as  frisky  as  cows ; 
I  can  drive  them  just  as  well  as  not.  Come  on, 
girls,  we  can  drive  to  the  gypsy  camp  and  get 
our  fortunes  told,  and  get  back  here  before  the 
boys  come  with  the  apples." 

"  But  the  dishes,"  objected  Anna  Woodruff. 

218 


SUNSHINE  AND  CLOUDS 

"  I'll  pack  away  the  dishes,"  said  little  Mag ; 
"  but  I  do  wish  you  wouldn't  go  away  with  the 
ponies.  Mr.  Frederick  will  not  like  it." 

"  Mr.  Frederick  doesn't  own  us,  child !  "  said 
the  elder  Lyman  girl,  laughing.  But  Margaret 
Lancaster  was  talking  again. 

"  Why,  of  course !  I  wonder  we  did  not 
think  of  that  before.  She  is  used  to  dishes; 
we  can  leave  her  to  straighten  everything  up 
and  go  on  our  lark." 

"  We  can't  leave  her  here  all  alone ! "  ex- 
claimed Kate  Perkins. 

"  I  should  like  to  know  why  not !  It  isn't 
in  the  least  likely  that  any  one  wants  to  steal 
her.  As  for  the  work,  she  is  used  to  it;  and, 
if  we  didn't  bring  her  along  for  that,  what  on 
earth  did  she  come  for?  " 

Then  Anna  Woodruff  found  her  voice  again. 
"  You  stay  with  her,  Lora ;  you  can  help  her, 
you  know;  and  mamma  wouldn't  want  you  to 
go  off  to  a  gypsy  camp;  you  are  too  little  for 
such  doings." 

Lora  Woodruff,  aged  eleven,  by  no  means 

219 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

approved  of.  this,  and  expressed  herself  accord- 
ingly; but  her  sister  Anna  was  firm.  How- 
ever much  she  might  be  led  herself,  by  the  opin- 
ion of  the  person  who  spoke  to  her  last,  she  was 
authority  for  her  younger  sister,  for  whom  she 
knew  both  father  and  mother  would  hold  her 
responsible.  In  her  heart  she  felt  that  the  gypsy 
camp  would  not  be  objected  to  so  much  as  the 
ponies  without  their  driver.  There  was  more 
or  less  discussion,  but  it  ended  in  Margaret 
Lancaster  carrying  her  point,  and  all  the  girls 
trooped  off  to  the  hay-wagon,  save  Mag  and 
Lora  Woodruff. 

"What  made  you  offer  to  do  this?"  asked 
Lora,  as  she  watched  Mag  move  with  quick 
step  and  skillful  hands  about  the  stone  table. 

Now,  it  happened  that  the  question  was  a 
hard  one  for  Mag  to  answer.  She  felt  in- 
stinctively that  Lora  would  not  understand 
what  she  meant.  The  little  girl  was  just  about 
her  size,  and  one  who  merely  glanced  at  them 
might  have  supposed  the  two  to  be  well  mated ; 
but  in  some  things  Lora  was  wiser  than  Mag, 

220 


SUNSHINE  AND  CLOUDS 

and  in  other  things  Mag  was  far  ahead  of  her. 
Could  she,  for  instance,  hope  to  explain  that 
the  doing  of  these  dishes  was  her  "  tenth  ?  " 
You  will  remember  that  I  told  you  the  marked 
difference  between  Mag  Jessup  and  most  other 
girls  of  her  age  was  that,  when  she  found  out 
a  Bible  truth,  she  proceeded  at  once  to  living  by 
it,  instead  of  forgetting  all  about  it,  or,  perhaps, 
never  realizing  that  it  had  anything  to  do  with 
her.  Ever  since  Mag  had  attended  that  won- 
derful meeting  at  the  square  she  had  faithfully 
worked  at  her  new  idea;  having  not  a  cent  of 
money  of  her  own,  there  had  been  nothing  but 
time  for  her  to  divide.  This  she  had  labori- 
ously apportioned  as  well  as  she  knew  how,  and 
the  result  was,  nearly  fifteen  minutes  each  day 
that  she  believed  she  ought  to  give  to  God.  For 
a  long  while  she  was  in  painful  doubt  as  to 
what  she  could  possibly  do  that  could  be  reck- 
oned as  done  for  him;  but  one  evening  in  the 
meeting  a  young  girl  helped  her  out  by  men- 
tioning a  bit  of  work  that  a  friend  had  done  for 
some  one — work  that  she  did  not  like  to  do. 

221 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

When  asked  if  it  was  not  hard,  she  had  said : 
"  It  wasn't  when  I  remembered  that  I  was  do- 
ing it  for  Jesus."  After  that,  one  who  watched 
Mag  would  have  discovered  that  there  came 
over  her  a  distinct  and  well-marked  change. 
Up  to  that  time  she  had  contented  herself  with 
doing  promptly,  and  as  well  as  she  knew  how, 
every  bit  of  work  given  her  to  do ;  now  she  be- 
gan to  watch  for  opportunities  to  do  for  others, 
without  waiting  to  be  told.  She  had  very  little 
idea  of  how  much  this  added  to  her  usefulness, 
and  would  have  been  amazed  had  she  known 
that  Mrs.  Perkins  had  remarked  to  her  daugh- 
ter, after  a  few  weeks  of  such  service,  that  "  that 
child  was  really  becoming  quite  helpful";  but 
she  knew  that  she  was  happier  in  the  service 
than  she  had  ever  been  before.  There  grew  to 
be  a  certain  fascination  in  watching  for  oppor- 
tunities, and  in  keeping  careful  account  with 
herself  to  see  that  she  actually  got  in  the  allot- 
ted time.  Her  system  of  accounts  was  peculiar. 
If,  on  a  given  day,  only  ten  minutes  of  helpful 
work  for  others,  not  required  of  her,  were 


SUNSHINE  AND  CLOUDS 

given,  she  was  careful  to  make  it  up,  if  possible, 
by  giving  twenty  minutes  on  the  following  day. 
But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  she  exceeded  the  fif- 
teen minutes,  she  felt  a  glow  of  satisfaction,  and 
by  no  means  made  a  record  in  her  favor.  There 
were  still  times  when  she  puzzled  much  over 
the  question  why  being  watchful  to  help  Norah, 
for  instance,  should  be  accounted  as  giving  time 
to  God;  but  she  put  the  anxiety  aside  with  the 
quieting  thought:   "  If  he  said  so,  why,  it's  so; 
never   mind   if   I   don't  understand   it."     All 
through  the  happy  hours  of  the  picnic  she  had 
been  on  the  alert,  but  had  found  no  opportunity 
to  put  in  her  fifteen  minutes.    She  had  not  been 
allowed  to  help  much  about  the  dinner  because 
the  other  girls  had  considered  that  "  fun  " ;  and, 
in  truth,  she  told  herself  it  wouldn't  have  done, 
anyway,  for,  with  all  of  them  joining  in  and 
talking  and  laughing,  it  would  have  been  fun  to 
her  also.    Indeed,  it  was  a  trial  not  to  be  in  their 
midst;  but  the  moment  the  trip  to  the  gypsy 
camp  was  proposed,  and  the  dishes  came  in  the 
way,  Mag  saw  her  opportunity.     She  did  not 

223 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

like  to  do  dishes,  especially  when  they  must  be 
carefully  packed  into  baskets  so  that  not  one 
would  get  broken,  but  neither  did  any  of  the 
others;  therefore  she  would  -do  it.  But  how 
was  such  a  thought  to  be  explained  to  Lora 
Woodruff?  She  evaded  the  question.  Lora 
followed  up  her  idea. 

"  I  don't  see  what  made  you ;  you  can't  like 
such  work;  you  have  enough  to  do  every  day 
anyway;  and  you  can't  have  done  it  to  please 
those  other  girls,  for  they  don't  deserve  it.  Mar- 
garet Lancaster  is  the  last  girl  I  should  think 
you  would  want  to  do  anything  for." 

"Why  not?"  asked  Mag;  she  was  curious 
for  the  answer.  Within  her  heart  was  an  in- 
stinctive turning  away  from  Margaret  Lan- 
caster; she  would  rather,  and  she  knew  she 
would  rather,  run  of  errands  for  any  other  girl 
in  the  boarding-house  than  Margaret.  But 
why  ?  Margaret  was  beautiful,  and  wore  lovely 
dresses,  and  often  talked  to  her  on  the  back 
piazza.,  where  her  shelling  of  peas,  and  work  of 
that  kind,  was  done,  and  had  never  been  exactly 

224 


SUNSHINE  AND  CLOUDS 

cross  to  her,  not  more  than  she  was  to  most 
people ;  why  didn't  she  like  to  do  things  for  her  ? 
Perhaps  Lora  could  throw  light  upon  the  prob- 
lem. So  she  said:  "Why  not?"  with 
eagerness. 

"  Because,"  said  Lora,  "  she  is  perfectly 
hateful  to  you.  If  you  had  heard  her  go  on 
about  your  coming  to  this  picnic  I  guess  you 
wouldn't  want  to  please  her!  She  was  de- 
termined you  shouldn't  come;  and  she  and 
her  cousin  Fred  pretty  nearly  fought  about 
it." 

"  Why  didn't  she  want  me  to  come  ?  "  Mag 
paused  in  the  act  of  gathering  up  the  plates  to 
ask  the  question;  all  this  was  new  and  strange 
to  her. 

"  Because,"  said  Lora,  elated  that  she  had 
so  good  a  listener,  "  she  said  you  were  nothing 
but  a  servant  girl,  and  did  not  belong  with  us ; 
and  that  we  might  as  well  take  all  the  servants 
as  you.  Fred  called  her  an  idiot,  and  I  should 
think  she  was  one.  Of  course,  we  wouldn't 
think  of  taking  Norah  and  the  rest,  but  you  are 

225 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

different."     This  was  intended  to  be  compli- 
mentary. 

A  great  deal  more  of  what  had  been  said  that 
morning  did  this  foolish  little  girl  repeat,  elated 
by  the  silent  attention  of  her  audience.  In  fact, 
as  she  became  interested  in  her  story,  she  made 
it  sound  as  terrible  as  she  could;  not  actually 
inventing  statements,  but  giving  such  color  to 
them  that  Margaret  Lancaster  herself  would 
not  have  recognized  them.  The  truth  is,  Lora 
had  a  dangerous  talent  for  remembering  the 
details  of  conversation,  and  of  adding  touches 
here  and  there  when  she  could  not  remember 
the  exact  words.  She  did  not  like  Margaret, 
and,  naturally,  all  the  disagreeable  words  and 
looks  were  reported  to  have  come  from  her. 
Perhaps  it  is  not  strange  that  poor  little  Mag's 
heart  was  filled  with  feelings  that  were  new  to 
her.  She  had  never  heard  herself  actually 
spoken  against  before.  Norah  was  cross  and 
said  disagreeable  things;  but  then  Norah  was 
cross  to  everybody  on  occasion;  she  even  said 
sharp  things  about  Mrs.  Perkins  herself !  Mag 

226 


SUNSHINE  AND  CLOUDS 

had  been  accused  of  stealing,  but  then  in  her 
honest  heart  she  had  admitted  the  proof  against 
her  to  be  really  very  strong,  and  had  readily 
forgiven  them  for  the  suspicion.  This  was 
something  very  different.  Margaret  Lancaster, 
without  any  reason  for  it,  had  spoken  against 
her;  had  said  that  she  was  not  fit  to  come  to 
the  picnic  with  them ;  had  tried  her  best  to  keep 
her  at  home!  She  should  never  like  Margaret 
Lancaster  again;  never  think  her  pretty;  never 
answer  her  questions  any  more  than  she  could 
help.  Margaret  should  see  that  she  knew  when 
she  was  treated  meanly.  It  was  cruel  and  ugly 
and  hateful  in  her  to  try  to  make  Mr.  Frederick 
turn  against  her!  In  truth,  poor  Mag  for  the 
first  time  in  her  life  was  fiercely  angry ;  all  her 
beautiful  day  had  been  spoiled.  She  did  not  in 
the  least  understand  her  own  heart,  nor  know 
why  it  was  that  she  cared  so  very  much  for 
what  had  been  said  about  her;  nor,  poor  child, 
did  she  know  that  such  feelings  as  she  at  once 
began  to  cherish  were  wrong,  and  must  be 
struggled  against.  A  queer  little  make  up  of 

227 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

wisdom  and  ignorance  was  Mag  Jessup.  It 
must  always  be  remembered  that  no  patient 
mother  had  watched,  and  carefully  trained,  and 
explained  and  encouraged,  and  cautioned  her. 
What  little  she  knew,  she  might  almost  have 
been  said  to  have  blundered  into.  She  said  very 
little  to  Lora ;  there  was  still  strong  within  her 
the  feeling  that  Lora  would  not  understand 
a  great  deal  that  she  might  say;  but  now  she 
forgot  all  about  the  "  tenth  "  that  she  was  giv- 
ing. She  did  the  work  well,  it  is  true,  from 
force  of  habit;  each  dish  was  packed  with  as 
much  care  as  though  it  had  been  Mrs.  Perkins's 
best  china;  but,  while  Lora's  tongue  ran  on 
freely,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  say,  among  many 
other  things,  how  horrid  it  was  in  those  girls 
to  go  off  and  leave  her  behind,  and  how  much 
she  hoped  that  they  would  have  a  real  mean, 
hateful  time,  poor  Mag's  feelings  seethed  and 
boiled  within  her  in  a  way  that  was  utterly  new 
to  her  experience.  She  wished  that  she  need 
never  see  Margaret  Lancaster  again.  She  al- 
most resolved  that  she  would  at  least  never 

228 


speak  to  her  again;  only  if  she  was  spoken  to, 
she  would  have  to  make  some  reply;  Mrs.  Per- 
kins would  see  to  that. 

Just  as  the  last  dish  was  tucked  away  inside 
the  great  baskets,  and  the  table-cloths  were 
shaken  and  folded,  the  apple-seekers  returned, 
headed  by  Frederick  Ainsworth. 

"  We've  got  some  prime  apples  for  you ! " 
he  shouted.  Then,  as  he  drew  nearer ;  "  You 
two  here  all  alone  ?  Where  are  the  others  ?  " 

Lora  was  happy  to  explain.  Before  her  volu- 
ble story  was  concluded,  Fred  turned  to  the 
boys,  his  face  pale  with  apprehension. 

"  They  would  have  to  cross  the  track  by  the 
curve;  and  the  afternoon  express  will  be  due 
there  in  ten  minutes,  and  those  ponies  are  afraid 
of  the  cars !  We  mustn't  lose  a  minute !  " 

With  the  last  word  he  had  turned  and  dashed 
down  a  side  path  that  led  to  the  road,  every 
boy  following  at  full  speed.  Lora  dashed 
eagerly  after  them  to  discover  anything  that 
might  have  happened.  As  for  Mag  Jessup, 
she  knew  the  lunch-baskets  and  wraps  and  sun 

229 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

umbrellas  and  books  of  all  the  party  must  be 
taken  care  of;  so  she  folded  away  the  table- 
cloths, and  sat  down  on  a  rock  to  watch  and 
wait. 


230 


CHAPTER  XV 
"  IF  WE  ONLY  HADN'T  " 

THE  group  of  young  people,  intent  upon 
paying  a  visit  to  the  gypsy  camp,  had 
gone  gaily  on  their  way;  not  without 
misgivings  on  the  part  of  some,  in  regard 
to  those  ponies,  whose  reputation  for  gentleness 
was  none  of  the  best.  Had  Neelie  Saunders  been 
of  the  company,  I  do  not  think  they  would  have 
started,  for  the  ponies  belonged  to  her  father, 
and  Neelie  knew  very  well  that  neither  she  nor 
her  sister  were  allowed  to  drive  them.  Ned 
Saunders,  a  young  fellow  of  seventeen,  was  the 
driver,  but  he  had  gone  after  apples.  On 
the  way  down  the  hill  they  discussed  the  situa- 
tion. 

"  We  can't  hitch  up  the  ponies,  Margaret ;  / 
can't,  I'm  sure,  and  I  don't  believe  you  can." 

"  No  more  I  can,  goosie !  but  the  boy  who 
was  left  in  charge  of  them  can." 

231 


,MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  On,  so  he  can,  and  drive  us,  too ;  I  'never 
thought  of  that." 

"  He  is  not  going  to  drive  us.  I  propose 
to  do  the  driving  myself.  I  just  ached  to  get 
hold  of  the  reins  coming  out.  That  Ned  Saund- 
ers  is  a  dreadfully  stupid  driver.  I  shall  make 
those  ponies  go  like  the  wind,  see  if  I  don't." 

"  O  Margaret,"  said  Anna  Woodruff,  "  are 
you  sure  you  know  how  to  drive?  " 

"  Why,  of  course  I  know  how  to  drive;  the 
idea!  Don't  I  drive  my  father's  elegant  span 
of  bay  horses?  The  handsomest  turnout  at 
the  Park,  everybody  said.  If  you  are  afraid, 
Anna  Woodruff,  you  might  run  back  and  stay 
with  the  servant." 

But  Anna,  although  she  was  afraid,  was  not 
to  be  ridiculed  into  turning  back;  she  had  in- 
sisted upon  leaving  her  little  sister  in  a  safe 
place,  and  considered  her  duty  done. 

Mr.  Saunders's  boy,  Dick,  who  had  been 
brought  along  that  he  might  be  left  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill  to  watch  the  wagon  and  ponies,  had 
been  told  simply  that  he  was  to  obey  orders ;  so 

232 


"IF  WE  ONLY  HADN'T' 

when  the  entire  troop  of  young  ladies,  who 
had  come  out  that  morning,  came  down  upon 
him  demanding  that  the  ponies  be  hitched  forth- 
with to  the  hay-wagon,  he  obeyed,  not  without 
a  timid  inquiry  for  Ned  Saunders. 

"  He  is  coming  by  and  by,"  said  Margaret 
Lancaster,  as  she  clambered  gaily  in ;  the  others 
followed  her  swiftly,  and  they  were  off. 

Now,  Margaret  Lancaster  really  had  no  idea 
that  she  was  doing  anything  very  daring.  She 
had,  as  she  said,  often  driven  her  father's  beau- 
tiful span  of  matched  bays,  the  pride  of  his 
heart,  through  the  park  grounds.  It  is  true  that 
her  father  sat  beside  her  at  the  time;  but  what 
of  that?  She  had  done  the  driving.  More- 
over, she  did  not  take  into  consideration  the 
difference  in  the  roads,  nor  the  clumsiness  of  the 
hay-wagon.  That  she  kept  her  word  and  drove 
fast,  every  girl  in  the  party  will  always  be  ready 
to  testify.  Those  ponies  fairly  flew  down  the 
steep,  rough  hill,  the  hay-wagon  clattering 
ominously  at  their  heels,  increasing  their  speed, 
if  Margaret  had  but  known  it;  still,  she  held  the 

233 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

v 

reins  with  firm  hand,  and  they  crossed  the  track 
in  safety  and  drew  up  at  the  gypsy  camp.  Here 
they  made  quick  work  of  it ;  there  proved  to  be 
no  gypsy  in  the  encampment  who  cared  to  tell 
fortunes,  and,  after  wandering  about  a  few 
minutes,  and  admiring  the  splendid  fire  and  the 
great  kettle  swinging  on  a  crane,  some  one 
thought  of  the  afternoon  express  and  begged 
Margaret  to  make  all  speed  back,  before  it  was 
due.  If  she  had  not  been  at  that  moment  seized 
with  the  desire  to  look  inside  a  white-covered 
wagon,  and  learn  how  gypsies  managed  their 
sleeping  accommodations,  they  might  have  ac- 
complished it.  As  it  was,  they  reached  the  top 
of  the  hill  just  as  the  express  went  thundering 
by.  And  then  those  ponies,  if  they  had  run  be- 
fore, fairly  flew  over  the  ground.  To  make 
matters  more  dangerous,  Margaret  "  lost  her 
head,"  as  the  boys  say,  and,  slackening  her  hold, 
let  the  reins  lie  loose.  Then  the  ponies  seemed 
to  think  themselves  deserted  and  ran  in  good 
earnest. 

"  Oh,  girls ! "  screamed  Margaret,  her  face 

234 


«  IF  WE  ONLY  HADN'T " 

pale  with  fright ;  "  they  are  running  away ;  I 
can  not  hold  them.  I  can't  do  anything  with 
them!  Oh!  oh!  we  shall  all  be  killed.  They 
will  run  right  straight  into  the  river;  I  can  not 
turn  them ! " 

This  looked  extremely  probable.  About  half  a 
mile  below,  the  road  made  a  sharp  bend,  and  at 
that  point  the  river  bank  was  almost  on  a  level 
with  it.  If  Margaret  could  do  nothing  with  the 
ponies,  what  was  more  likely  than  that  they 
should  dash  ahead  without  regard  to  the  road, 
and  plunge  into  the  river?  Then,  what  but 
death  awaited  any  of  them?  For  the  river  at 
that  point  was  broad  and  deep.  Suddenly  Mar- 
garet had  a  thought  which  she  proceeded  to 
carry  into  execution: 

"  We  must  jump  for  our  lives ! "  she  Said, 
and,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  she  threw 
the  reins  from  her,  and,  poising  for  a  second 
on  the  side  of  the  wagon,  gave  a  spring  and  a 
shriek  at  the  same  moment,  and  was  gone. 
The  frightened  girls  huddled  together  and 
shrieked  with  terror  and  dismay.  Only  one  of 

235 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

them  tried  to  retain  her  self-control;  that  was 
Georgia  Lyman. 

"  Don't  one  of  the  rest  of  you  dare  to  jump !  " 
she  said  sternly.  "  My  father  has  told  me 
again  and  again,  '  Whatever  else  you  do  when  a 
horse  is  running  away,  never  jump ;  it  is  almost 
certain  death.'  If  I  had  been  near  enough  to 
Margaret,  I  would  have  held  her  fast.  Let  us 
all  try  to  get  hold  of  the  reins  and  pull." 

But,  alas!  Margaret  in  her  terror  had  flung 
the  reins  so  far  that  it  was  impossible  to  get 
hold  of  them.  Every  one  was  so  frightened 
that  they  did  not  notice,  what  was  plainly  ap- 
parent, that  the  ponies  themselves  were  rather 
tired  of  their  wild  race,  and  were  decidedly 
slackening  their  pace.  All  the  girls  could  think 
of  was  that  they  were  nearing  the  river.  Then, 
suddenly,  one  of  them  gave  a  different  kind  of 
a  scream : 

"  Oh,  look !  "  she  panted ;  "  the  boys !  " 

Sure  enough,  there  were  the  boys,  eight  of 
them,  brave  fellows,  forming  a  cordon  across 
the  road ;  those  ponies  would  need  to  be  skillful 

236 


"IF  WE  ONLY  HADN'T'1 

to  get  past  them.  I  believe  in  my  heart  that  the 
ponies  did  not  want  to  pass  them,  but  were,  on 
the  contrary,  quite  willing  to  be  seized  by  their 
bridles  by  two  such  determined  fellows  as  Ned 
Saunders  and  Fred  Ainsworth. 

There  was  a  great  deal  to  be  done  in  the  next 
few  minutes;  two  of  the  girls,  now  that  the 
danger  was  over,  fainted  dead  away,  and  had 
to  be  thought  about;  but  the  most  of  them 
thought  of  poor  Margaret. 

"Who  started  this  wild  ride?"  Ned  Saun- 
ders asked  sternly. 

"  Oh,"  said  Anna  Woodruff,  "  it  was  poor 
Margaret;  but  don't  blame  her  now.  She  is 
—oh,  dear!" 

"  She  is  what?  "  exclaimed  Fred  Ainsworth, 
looking  up  from  one  of  the  fainted  girls. 
"Where  is  she?" 

Then  half  a  dozen  voices  told  him;  and  his 
pale  face  grew  paler,  and  he  gave  over  trying  to 
revive  Carrie  Benson,  and  said :  "  Then  she  is 
dead!" 

"Oh,  no,  no,"  they  shrieked;    "don't  say 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

that  Oh,  don't  waste  time  here!  Why  don't 
you  go  to  her  ?  "  Though  why  they  should 
have  added  that,  no  one  knows ;  for  Ned  Saun- 
ders  was  already  jerking  the  ponies  around, 
and,  before  the  cry  about  wasting  time  was  con- 
cluded, he  and  Frederick  and  three  others  of 
the  strongest  boys  were  in  the  wagon,  and  the 
ponies  were  hurrying  up  the  hill  again. 

People  who  heard  the  story,  told  for  days 
afterwards,  exclaimed  that  it  was  "  just  a  mira- 
cle !  "  and  some  said  it  couldn't  be  possible ! 
But  nevertheless  it  was  that  Margaret  Lancas- 
ter was  not  killed  by  her  wild  jump  from  the 
hay-wagon.  She  was  bumped,  she  was 
sprained,  she  was  bruised  all  over ;  but  she  was 
very  much  alive. 

Ned  Saunders  declared  afterwards  that,  since 
she  was  such  an  idiot  as  to  jump  at  all,  some 
angel  who  takes  care  of  idiots  must  have  been 
there  to  select  the  only  safe  place  for  her.  Just 
ahead,  and  just  a  step  backward,  were  sharp, 
jutting  stones,  while  the  place  where  she  fell 
was  slightly  depressed,  and  much  shaded,  so 

238 


"IF  WE  ONLY  HADN'T" 

that  the  ground  was  still  soft  from  recent  rains. 
Margaret  had  fainted  at  first,  but,  before  the 
rescue  party  reached  her,  she  had  revived 
enough  to  issue  some  very  assuring  groans. 

"  She  isn't  dead,  anyhow,"  said  Ned  Saun- 
ders,  cheerfully,  "  and  her  lungs  are  still  good, 
or  she  couldn't  groan  like  that." 

Frederick  sprang  like  a  cat  from  the  wagon, 
and  had  his  cousin  in  his  arms  before  the  others 
could  come  to  help  him.  Two  of  the  boys  oc- 
cupied themselves  in  making  a  bed  in  the  hay- 
wagon,  out  of  leaves  and  grasses,  covered  by 
their  coats;  but  Ned  Saunders  was  examining 
the  wagon  wheels. 

"  Here's  a  fix !  "  he  said  in  a  low  tone  to  one 
of  them ;  "  I  noticed  that  this  wagon  wobbled 
dreadfully  when  we  came  out.  Something  has 
happened  to  this  hind  wheel;  they  must  have 
cracked  some  of  its  joints  in  turning;  it  won't 
last  for  us  to  get  home,  that  is  certain;  and  I 
don't  hardly  feel  that  it  is  safe  to  go  back  to  the 
grove  in,  after  our  things,  unless  we  fellows 
walk  and  keep  a  close  watch,  and  kind  of  brace 

239 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

it  up,  if  necessary,  while  Fred  rides,  and  takes 
care  of  Margaret.  What  we  are  going  to  do 
after  that,  I'm  sure  I  don't  quite  see." 

"  I  see,"  said  Harold  Wood.  "  Let  some  one 
take  one  of  the  ponies  and  gallop  back  to  town 
as  fast  as  possible  for  an  easy  rig  of  some  kind 
for  her  and  the  girls;  we  fellows  can  walk 
back." 

"  Good  for  you !  "  said  Ned  Saunders  ap- 
provingly. "  That  is  just  what  can  be  done. 
I've  traveled  on  Frisk's  back  without  any  saddle 
before  now,  and  I  can  do  it  again.  I'll  bring 
our  carriage  and  a  doctor  as  fast  as  possible." 

This  program  was  carried  out.  Ned  Saun- 
ders galloped  off  as  soon  as  possible  after  the 
party  reached  the  grove,  feeling  all  the  more 
need  for  haste  because  poor  Margaret  was  evi- 
dently suffering  great  pain;  she  fainted  twice 
on  the  way  back.  The  others,  having  made 
her  as  comfortable  as  they  knew  how,  stood,  or 
sat,  around  in  disconsolate  groups  waiting. 
Mag,  having  discovered  that  all  the  others  were 
occupied,  toiled  down  the  hill  with  one  basket 

240 


«IF  WE  ONLY  HADN'T'1 

at  a  time  until  all  but  one  were  near  the  wagon ; 
then  it  suddenly  occurred  to  Frederick  to  ob- 
serve her,  and  to  order  the  boy  Dick  to  go  for 
the  basket. 

"  See  if  you  can  do  so  much,"  he  added 
sternly.  "  If  you  had  done  your  duty,  all  this 
would  not  have  happened.  A  child  might  have 
known  that  those  ponies  were  not  to  be  en- 
trusted to  girls." 

Mag,  relieved  of  her  duties,  looked  with 
grave,  troubled  eyes  at  poor  Margaret,  whose 
pale  face  was  drawn  with  pain,  and  who  gave 
vent  to  feeble  moans  whenever  she  made  the 
slightest  movement. 

"  It  is  her  foot,  I  think,"  said  Georgia  Ly- 
man,  in  response  to  Mag's  inquiring  look ;  "  at 
least,  her  foot  is  hurt ;  I  don't  know  which  part 
of  her  hurts  the  worst,  but  she  can't  move  that 
the  least  bit  without  fainting." 

"  It  ought  to  be  put  into  hot  water,"  said 
Mag. 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  "  This  from  Georgia, 
curiously. 

241 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  One  of  the  boarders  sprained  her  wrist  last 
winter,  and  the  surgeon  made  her  put  it  in  hot 
water  and  keep  it  there  for  hours." 

"That's  so,"  said  Frederick,  briskly;  "I 
knew  that  when  I  was  no  taller  than  the  table, 
but  I  never  thought  of  it.  See  what  it  is  to  have 
one's  knowledge  at  command.  Can  one  of  you 
boys  light  a  fire  and  put  the  big  chocolate-pot 
on  full  of  water?  That  will  be  better  than 
nothing." 

"  There  is  a  big  pan  that  the  cookies  and 
cakes  and  things  were  packed  in,"  said  Mag. 

"  So  there  is ;  that  will  hold  more  than  the 
chocolate-pot.  It  takes  you  to  think." 

It  took  Mag  to  do,  also.  It  was  she  who 
finally  managed  the  fire,  as  being  the  one  who 
apparently  understood  it  best.  Mary  Lyman 
was  in  the  wagon  trying  to  take  the  shoe  and 
stocking  from  the  poor,  swollen  foot ;  the  latter 
had  to  be  cut  away;  and  at  last,  not  without 
much  groaning  and  one  downright  faint,  the 
foot  was  placed  in  a  pail  of  hot  water;  then 
there  was  really  nothing  else  to  be  done  but 

242 


«IF  WE  ONLY  HADN'T' 

watching  and  replenishing  the  fire,  and  wait- 
ing. 

It  was  astonishing  how  hard  they  found  it 
to  wait;  although  they  were  on  the  very 
grounds  where  they  had  declared  they  would 
like  to  stay  until  the  moon  came  up  in  the  even- 
ing to  light  them  home.  Now  they  watched 
the  sun  with  a  kind  of  horror  as  it  went  swiftly 
toward  the  west;  all  the  joy  had  gone  out  of 
their  day,  and  the  utmost  desire  of  each  was  to 
get  home  as  soon  as  possible. 

"  It's  queer,"  said  Harold  Wood,  "  what  a 
difference  it  makes  to  have  one  of  the  party 
hurt!  Ned  and  I  were  groaning  only  a  little 
while  ago  over  his  promise  to  his  father  to  get 
home  before  dark;  we  thought  it  would  be  so 
delicious  to  have  supper  up  here,  and  drive 
home  by  moonlight;  and  now  it  seems  as 
though  I  wanted  to  fly  home." 

"  If  we  only  hadn't  gene !  "  murmured  Geor- 
gia Lyman. 

"  That's  just  it.  What  possessed  you  to  get 
off  in  that  way  without  any  of  us  ?  Ned  would 

243 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

have  driven  you  to  the  gypsy  camp,  with  all  his 
heart,  if  he  had  known  you  wanted  to  go. 
What  that  stupid  boy  was  about  to  allow  it,  I 
can't  imagine.  I  hope  he  will  be  discharged 
for  his  folly." 

"  I  don't,"  said  Georgia,  resolved  upon  bear- 
ing her  share  of  the  blame.  "  I  don't  think  he 
could  have  helped  it.  He  saw  just  how  deter- 
mined Margaret  was — you  know  how  she  is 
when  she  makes  up  her  mind  to  do  a  thing? 
And  we  all  helped  her;  we  got  into  a  sort  of 
gale,  you  know.  She  was  so  sure  she  could 
drive,  that  we  trusted  her  fully.  Why,  she  said 
she  had  driven  her  father's  horses  in  town,  and 
we  thought,  if  she  could  do  that,  she  could 
certainly  manage  the  ponies  on  a  quiet  country 
road." 

Frederick  Ainsworth  had  come  down  from 
his  post  in  the  hay-wagon,  in  search  of  his  um- 
brella to  make  a  canopy  over  the  sufferer's  head, 
and  he  halted  for  a  moment  beside  the  two. 

"  There  is  nothing  like  the  exact  truth,"  he 
said  gravely.  "  Margaret  never  drove  her  fa- 

244 


"IF  WE  ONLY  HADN'T" 

ther's  thoroughbred  horses  in  her  life,  unless 
he  or  my  father  were  sitting  beside  her.  Per- 
haps she  didn't  think  that  little  item  made  any 
difference,  but  I  think  it  does.  I've  no  doubt, 
though,  that  she  thought  she  could  drive;  that 
is  one  trouble  with  her :  she  thinks  she  can  do 
anything." 

"  I  don't  believe  she  would  have  been  so  de- 
termined to  go,"  said  Georgia,  thinking  back, 
"  if  it  had  not  been  for  little  Mag." 

Frederick  had  started  to  return  to  the  hay- 
wagon,  but  he  turned  back  at  the  sound  of 
Mag's  name. 

"  What  had  she  to  do  with  it?  "  he  asked. 

"  Why,  she  begged  us  not  to  go.  She  was 
sure  it  wasn't  safe,  because  '  Mr.  Frederick  ' 
said  so,  and  he  knew.  There  is  something 
about  '  Mr.  Frederick's  '  name  that  seems  to  set 
Margaret  off.  After  that  she  was  determined 
to  drive,  though  some  of  us  were  urging  that 
we  could  all  walk  there  nicely." 

Frederick  Ainsworth  walked  back  to  the  hay- 
wagon  with  a  thoughtful  air.  This  matter  of 

245 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

influence  was  a  strange  thing.  Could  he  pos- 
sibly, in  a  remote  way,  be  to  blame  for  this  ac- 
cident, which  might  be  more  serious  than  any 
of  them  imagined?  He  knew  he  was  inclined 
to  be  arbitrary  with  his  young  cousin,  to  exer- 
cise authority  over  her,  especially  in  the  absence 
of  her  father  and  mother.  He  liked  to  assume 
that  the  three  years'  difference  in  their  ages 
gave  him  the  right  to  be  authoritative. 

"  Poor  little  Mag !  "  he  said  to  himself  with 
a  sigh,  "  she  is  the  only  one  who  has  a  very  high 
opinion  of  '  Mr.  Frederick  '  ;  he  even  has  to  be 
ashamed  of  himself  sometimes." 


246 


CHAPTER  XVI 

A    HARD   LESSON 

THERE  is  one  person  who  will  doubt- 
less never  forget  her  ride  home  from 
the  picnic.  Every  step  the  horses 
took  seemed  to  cause  her  pain.  Ned  Saun- 
ders  was  back  with  easy  carriage  and  the 
village  doctor  before  even  the  impatient  party 
who  waited  had  begun  to  watch  for  him 
over  the  hill.  Everything  that  could  be  done 
for  Margaret's  comfort  was  thought  of,  and 
her  aunt,  who  had  come  in  the  carriage,  pil- 
lowed the  poor  girl's  head  on  her  lap  all  the 
long,  slow  drive  home.  But  at  best  it  was  a 
hard  time.  The  doctor  was  as  cheery  as  possi- 
ble before  Margaret,  told  her  that  she  had  had 
first-rate  attention  already,  that  the  hot  water 
was  just  the  thing  for  her  foot,  and  that  they 
would  soon  have  her  in  a  place  where  they  could 
make  her  more  comfortable.  But  he  shook  his 

247 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

head  in  answer  to  Frederick's  questions,  and 
told  him  that  he  was  afraid  there  was  a  long, 
weary  time  before  the  poor  girl;  and  that  it 
was  even  doubtful  whether  she  would  ever 
jump  again. 

"  That  knee  was  bent  in  an  ugly  way,"  he 
said,  "  and  sometimes  these  jumps  make  serious 
business.  However,  she  is  young  and  strong, 
and  we  will  hope  for  the  best." 

The  "  best  "  was  a  serious  trial  to  Margaret. 
The  hurts  all  proved  to  be  tedious  in  their  re- 
sults, rather  than  serious ;  at  least,  the  city  doc- 
tor, who  was  called  in  consultation,  said  he 
hoped  the  young  lady  would  be  as  well  as  ever 
in  a  few  months.  But  he  might  almost  as  well 
have  said  years,  so  far  as  Margaret  was  con- 
cerned. She  had  never  been  ill  for  more  than 
three  days  at  a  time  in  her  life;  and  the  pros- 
pect of  lying  still  for  months  was  so  utterly 
hopeless  to  her,  that  she  turned  her  face  away 
from  them  all,  and,  after  murmuring  that  she 
would  much  rather  have  been  killed  outright, 
cried  herself  into  a  nervous  headache. 

248 


A  HARD  LESSON 

With  this  for  a  beginning,  it  will  be  easily 
understood  that  she  did  not  make  a  .very  cheer- 
ful patient.  Indeed,  as  the  days  went  by,  and 
their  anxiety  in  regard  to  her  wore  off,  it  began 
to  be  very  hard  for  her  nurses  to  listen  to  her 
continual  fretting.  She  blamed  the  doctors, 
and  the  roads,  and  the  ponies;  the  boys  for 
going  after  apples  and  leaving  them  to  take 
care  of  themselves,  and  the  girls  for  going  with 
her,  and  Dick  for  allowing  them  to  go,  and 
even  the  gypsies  for  being  in  camp  at  that  time ! 

Frederick  Ainsworth  considered  himself  a 
model  nurse  because  he  gave  up  so  much  o£  his 
vacation  to  her,  and  his  aunt  commended  him 
for  patience  and  forbearance;  but  there  were 
times  when  poor  Margaret  accused  him  of 
thinking  only  of  himself.  On  the  whole,  there 
was  no  one  at  the  boarding-house  but  earnestly 
hoped  that  the  sick  one  would  improve  very 
rapidly  and  grow  able  to  go  back  to  town, 
where  she  longed  to  be.  Of  all  who  had 
to  do  with  her,  the  one  whose  conduct  was  the 
most  surprising,  to  those  who  knew  her  well, 

249 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

waS  Mag  Jessup.  As  a  matter  of  course,  Mag 
had  occasion  to  be  in  Margaret's  room  very 
often  during  the  day.  It  was  she  who  toiled 
up  stairs  with  the  broths  and  toasts,  and  cool 
drinks  and  warm  drinks,  and  fruits  that  were  in 
some  shape  or  other  nearly  always  in  demand 
for  that  room.  It  was  she  who  sat  in  the  room 
while  Margaret's  aunt  went  down  to  dinner.  It 
was  she  who  kept  the  flies  from  troubling  Mar- 
garet while  the  aunt  took  an  afternoon  nap.  In 
short,  it  was  she  who  was  called  upon  for  all 
the  extra  and  many  of  the  regular  services  de- 
manded by  the  invalid.  She  performed  every 
duty  with  painstaking  care;  she  might  have 
been  a  wound-up  clock,  so  regularly  did  she  go 
about  the  work  that  became  routine ;  yet  Fred- 
erick Ainsworth  knew,  and  Miss  Ordway  knew, 
and  Margaret's  aunt  surmised,  that  the  Mag 
who  was  attending  Margaret  was  not  the  same 
Mag  who  had  been  doing  errands  all  summer. 
There  was  almost  never  a  smile  on  her  little 
brown  face  when  she  came  into  the  room.  She 
offered  no  words  except  those  that  were  abso- 

250 


A  HARD  LESSON 

lutely  necessary,  she  stayed  not  one  second  be- 
yond the  time  demanded  of  her  by  duty.  Mar- 
garet herself  noticed  the  difference,  or  at  least 
disapproved  of  the  present  Mag. 

"  I  would  as  soon  be  waited  on  by  a  tomb- 
stone !  "  she  said  petulantly  one  day  when  Mag 
had  brought  her  a  glass  of  water  fresh  from  the 
spring,  had  stood  silently  by  while  she  drank 
it,  and  silently  retreated  from  the  room  the  in- 
stant the  glass  was  returned  to  her  tray.  "  I 
wish  there  was  some  one  to  wait  on  me  who 
didn't  look  as  though  she  expected  to  die  be- 
cause of  it!  Why  can't  Jane  come  up  with 
things  ?  or  Kate  Perkins,  for  that  matter  ?  " 

"  My  dear,"  said  her  aunt,  soothingly,  "  re- 
member that  Mrs.  Perkins  has  a  large  family 
and  not  a  great  deal  of  help;  Jane  has  her 
hands  very  full.  As  for  Kate  Perkins,  I  sup- 
pose she  would  tell  you  that  she  is  not  hired  to 
wait  upon  her  mother's  boarders,  though  she 
does  come  often,  you  know." 

"  Not  very;  they  are  all  a  selfish  set;  and  it 
was  just  as  much  their  fault  as  mine;  if  they 

251 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

hadn't  wanted  to  go  to  that  horrid  old  gypsy 
camp,  I  shouldn't  have  gone.  Kate  Perkins 
ought  not  to  feel  above  waiting  on  me,  I  am 
sure.  If  my  mother  kept  boarders  for  a  living, 
I  should  expect  to  do  my  share  of  it.  Anyway, 
I  wish  I  could  have  somebody  besides  that  hor- 
rid little  Mag." 

"  She  is  a  very  solemn-looking  little  girl,  cer- 
tainly," the  aunt  admitted,  "  but  she  is  neat  and 
quiet.  I  wonder  if  anything  has  happened  to 
the  child?  I  used  to  think  she  had  more  life 
in  her." 

"  She  had  life  enough  at  the  picnic,"  said 
Margaret;  "  she  chattered  and  giggled  all 
the  time.  Fred  made  an  idiot  of  himself 
petting  her;  it  was  his  fault  that  she  went 
along." 

"  My  dear,  what  harm  did  it  do  ?  The  poor 
child  can't  have  many  outings;  and  she  was 
certainly  not  to  blame  for  your  accident.  She 
was  the  only  one  who  didn't  go  with  you,  was 
she  not?" 

"  Good  reason  why;  she  had  to  stay  and  take 

252 


A  HARD  LESSON 

care  of  the  dishes ;  we  were  sure  she  knew  how 
to  do  that." 

"  But,  Margaret  dear,  didn't  she  offer  ? 
Surely  none  of  you  were  cruel  enough  to  force 
the  little  creature's  homeless  and  dependent  po- 
sition on  her  by  obliging  her  to  stay  behind  and 
do  the  work !  " 

Margaret  turned  irritably  on  her  pillow  as 
she  said : 

"  O  Aunt  Helen,  please  don't  talk  about  her 
any  more.  She  is  a  stupid  little  owl,  and  I'm 
tired  of  the  sound  of  her  name." 

It  was  Miss  Ordway  who  broke  in  upon 
Mag's  established  order  of  things.  Her  city 
friends,  by  the  way,  had  come;  a  young  mar- 
ried lady  with  her  two  young  sisters  in  charge. 
More  winsome  girls  than  Elise  and  Elsie  Daane 
would  be  hard  to  find.  Money  they  had  in 
plenty,  or  at  least  their  parents  had ;  Mag  Jes- 
sup  heard  the  elder  portion  of  the  family  talk 
so  often  about  this,  that  she  was  in  danger  of 
getting  a  very  false  idea  of  the  importance  of 
wealth ;  but  the  girls  themselves  were  as  simple 

253 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

and  sweet  as  the  wild  flowers  they  delighted  in. 
If  they  wore  elegant  dresses  in  town,  as  Mar- 
garet Lancaster  declared  that  they  did,  they 
had  left  them  all  behind,  and  appeared  in  the 
morning  in  the  freshest  and  neatest  of  percale 
dresses,  while  their  very  best  were  of  white 
muslin,  simply  made.  Elise  was  nearly  a  year 
older  than  Mag,  and  Elsie  was  quite  a  year 
younger,  but  both  of  them  seemed  to  find  an 
immediate  attraction  in  the  shy,  brown  little 
girl  who  had  never  been  to  school  and  who 
knew  so  much  less  and  so  much  more  than  most 
girls  of  her  age.  They  found  their  way  often 
to  the  back  porch  where  Mag  still  sat  with  her 
endless  fruits  and  vegetables,  and  many  were 
the  talks  the  three  had  together.  Poor  Mar- 
garet Lancaster  in  her  upstairs  prison  would 
have  been  sick  with  envy  could  she  have  seen 
them ;  for  to  meet  and  become  intimate  friends 
with  the  Duane  girls  had  been  one  of  the 
thoughts  that  had  lately  reconciled  her  to  this 
summer  in  the  country. 

But  I  meant  to  tell  you  of  Miss  Ordway  and 

254 


A  HARD  LESSON 

Mag.  The  little  girl  came  one  morning  to 
bring  Miss  Ordway  a  fresh  pitcher  of  spring 
water,  and  stopped  to  smell  of  a  sweet  pea  that 
had  been  placed  on  the  canvas  the  day  before. 

"  It  seems  as  though  it  could  be  smelled,"  she 
said,  gleefully.  "  How  can  there  be  sweet  peas 
so  lovely  as  that,  without  being  sweet?  O 
Miss  Ordway,  it  is  so  wonderful  to  think  you 
can  do  it !  If  you  could  only  make  them  smell, 
wouldn't  it  be  too  beautiful !  " 

"  I  presume  it  would,"  said  Miss  Ordway, 
smiling  at  her  enthusiasm.  Then  she  seized 
the  opportunity  to  ask  questions  that  had  been 
puzzling  her. 

"  Are  there  two  little  Mags  in  this  house,  do 
you  think?  " 

Mag  looked  her  surprise.  "  Oh,  no,  ma'am," 
she  said,  "  I  know  there  are  not.  There  is  Miss 
Margaret  Lancaster,  you  know,  of  course,  but 
nobody  ever  calls  her  Mag,  and  besides  that 
there  is  only  me." 

"  I  don't  quite  know  how  to  account  for  it," 
said  Miss  Ordway,  arranging  flowers  for  her 

255 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

vase,  and  seeming  to  give  not  a  great  deal  of 
heed  to  what  she  was  saying;  "  there  is  a  little 
Mag  who  comes  to  my  room  with  the  brightest 
face!  When  she  brings  me  water  it  is  always 
done  with  a  smile,  as  though  she  was  glad  to 
bring  it,  and  when  she  sees  any  of  my  pretty 
things  her  face  lights  up  with  pleasure,  and, 
altogether,  she  is  a  very  pleasant  sight  to  look 
at.  But  occasionally  in  Miss  Margaret's  room 
I  find  a  little  girl  called  Mag,  whose  face  is  so 
very  sober  that  it  seems  much  longer  than  the 
face  that  I  know,  and,  as  nearly  as  I  can  dis- 
cover, she  never  laughs  in  that  room,  nor  says 
a  cheery  word.  Can  she  possibly  be  the  same 
Mag?  and  if  she  is,  how  does  she  account  for 
the  difference?  " 

Mag  did  not  laugh  then ;  instead,  she  blushed 
until  her  cheeks  were  as  red  as  the  roses  Miss 
Ordway  was  arranging.  It  was  clear  that  she 
did  not  want  to  make  any  answer,  but  Miss 
Ordway  kept  silence  and  waited.  At  last  Mag 
said,  in  a  voice  that  was  low  and  timid : 

"  It  is  because  I  love  you,  Miss  Ordway." 

256 


A  HARD  LESSON 

"  That  is  very  nice,  I  am  sure ;  I  like  to  be 
loved ;  but  does  that  mean  that  you  do  not  love 
Miss  Margaret  ?  " 

"  Yes'm,  it  does ;  I  don't  love  her  the  least 
bit  in  the  world  and  I  don't  want  to  say  any 
words  to  her,  only  just  what  I  have  to ;  and  I 
haven't  got  any  smiles  when  I  am  where  she  is, 
and  don't  want  to  have." 

Miss  Ordway  turned  and  looked  at  her  curi- 
ously. "  What  a  fierce  little  creature  it  is, 
after  all !  "  she  said,  as  if  thinking  aloud ;  "  who 
would  have  supposed  it  ? "  Then,  to  Mag : 
"  Little  girl,  what  is  the  matter  ?  What  has 
poor  Margaret  done  to  arouse  such  wrath?  I 
supposed  you  would  be  all  melted  into  pity  for 
her." 

"  I  don't  pity  her,"  said  Mag  in  severest 
tone ;  "  she  brought  it  all  on  herself,  and  made 
trouble  for  everybody,  and  broke  Mr.  Saun- 
ders's  wagon,  and  lamed  one  of  the  ponies,  and 
was  hateful  and  horrid." 

Miss  Ordway  could  not  help  laughing. 

"  So  you  think  you  must  punish  her  for  such 

257 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

selfish  and  inconsiderate  conduct,  do  you  ?  My 
child,  if  Mr.  Saunders  has  forgiven  her,  one 
would  suppose  you  might.  Don't  you  know 
that  he  has  sent  her  fruit  several  times,  and  the 
most  lovely  flowers;  and  has  promised  to  take 
her  out  to  ride  after  those  same  ponies  as  soon 
as  she  is  able  ?  " 

"  It  isn't  that,"  said  Mag,  lowering  her  voice 
again.  "  She  wasn't  at  all  good  to  me.  I 
don't  think  I  have  any  reason  to  like  her,  or  to 
try  to  be  pleasant  to  her."  And  then  Miss  Ord- 
way  resolved  to  know  what  it  was  all  about, 
and  questioned  until  Mag  poured  out  her  tale 
of  woe,  as  revealed  to  her  by  Lora  Woodruff. 
In  truth,  the  lady,  after  the  first  revelations 
were  made,  had  no  difficulty  in  understanding 
the  situation;  she  had  seen  enough  of  Mar- 
garet Lancaster  to  know  that  she  could  be  very 
disagreeable  when  she  chose.  Still,  it  was  a 
pity  to  see  a  little  girl  take  the  follies  of  another 
little  girl  so  deeply  to  heart.  What  could  be 
said  to  lessen  the  effect  ?  Suddenly  an  idea  oc- 
curred to  the  lady. 

258 


A  HARD  LESSON 

"  How  do  such  feelings  as  those  match  with 
your  new  book  ?  "  she  asked,  turning  and  look- 
ing at  Mag  with  a  winning  smile. 

"  Ma'am?  "  said  Mag,  bewildered;  "  which 
book  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Why,  the  Bible.  Didn't  you  tell  me  some- 
thing about  following  the  directions  in  the  Bi- 
ble as  soon  as  you  found  them  out?  How  do 
the  directions  about  Margaret  Lancaster  match 
your  conduct  ?  " 

"  Is  there  something  about  Margaret  Lan- 
caster in  the  Bible  ?  " 

No  words  will  describe  the  note  of  astonish- 
ment and  also  of  dismay  in  poor  Mag's  voice. 
Despite  the  undertone  of  pathos,  Miss  Ordway 
could  not  help  smiling. 

"  I  am  pretty  sure  there  is,"  she  said 
positively;  "let  me  see  if  I  can  find  it  for 
you." 

She  looked  about  for  her  Bible,  and  blushed 
a  little  over  the  fact  that  it  was  nowhere  to  be 
seen.  Manifestly  she  did  not  order  her  daily 
life  by  its  teachings.  She  remembered  carry- 

259 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

ing  a  pile  of  books,  a  few  days  before,  to  stow 
away  in  the  large  trunk  in  her  closet;  the  Bible 
must  have  been  among  them,  and  she  had  not 
missed  it!  She  went  down  into  the  deptks  of 
the  trunk  and  pulled  it  out.  But  now  she  did 
not  know  where  to  look  for  the  promised  words. 
However,  the  Bible  had  a  concordance  attached, 
and  Mag,  leaning  over  the  lady's  shoulder,  had 
its  mysteries  explained  to  her.  By  its  aid  the 
verse  was  found  and  read  aloud :  "  I  say  unto 
you,  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse 
you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray 
for  them  which  despitefully  use  you  and  perse- 
cute you;  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of  your 
Father  which  is  in  heaven;  for  he  maketh  his 
sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and 
sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust.  For 
if  ye  love  them  which  love  you,  what  reward 
have  ye?  Do  not  even  the  publicans  the 
same  ?  " 

"  Who  said  that?  "  exclaimed  poor  Mag,  al- 
most breathless  with  astonishment  and  pain; 
"  who  was  it  talking,  Miss  Ordway  ?  " 

260 


A  HARD  LESSON 

"  It  was  the  Lord  Jesus  when  he  was  on 
earth." 

"  Will  you  let  me  look  at  it?  "  asked  Mag, 
and  she  read  each  word  again  with  painstaking 
slowness,  pausing  only  to  ask  one  question: 
"  Who  are  the  publicans,  Miss  Ordway  ?  " 

"  The  publicans,"  repeated  that  lady,  hesi- 
tatingly; "why,  I  presume  in  that  connection 
it  means  outsiders;  people  who  do  not  pretend 
to  order  their  lives  by  the  Bible.  It  is  a  very 
easy  matter,  you  know,  to  love  people  who  love 
us,  and  are  good  and  kind  to  us;  but  Jesus 
wanted  his  followers  to  do  a  great  deal  more 
than  that." 

And  then,  quite  to  Miss  Ordway's  relief,  Mag 
was  called  in  peremptory  tones  by  Mrs.  Per- 
kins. 

"  In  two  minutes  more  I  should  have  been  be- 
yond my  depth !  "  thought  Miss  Ordway,  smil- 
ing, as  the  door  closed  after  Mag.  I  wonder 
what  Ward  would  think  to  hear  me  trying  to 
preach  a  sermon  from  a  Bible  text  ?  Poor  little 
mouse !  I  have  given  her  a  hard  lesson  to  learn, 

261 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

one  that  I  couldn't  practice  myself  to  save  my 
life.     I  wonder  what  she  will  do  with  it?  " 

She  might  well  have  asked!  Never  in  all 
her  fourteen  years  of  life  had  such  a  bitter  truth 
been  pressed  upon  Mag's  notice.  She  ignored 
the  History  of  England  entirely,  and,  finding 
the  words  in  her  own  little  Bible,  read  and  re- 
read them  at  every  leisure  interval  until  they 
were  burned  into  her  memory.  And  their 
meaning  grew  plain  as  she  studied.  She  was 
actually  told  to  love  Margaret  Lancaster!  If 
it  had  not  been  for  that  word,  Mag  might  have 
got  some  comfort.  After  an  hour  or  two,  she 
admitted  to  her  conscience  that  she  could  pray 
for  Margaret,  and  do  good  to  her;  in  a  sense 
she  had  been  doing  good  to  her  all  the  time- 
but  to  love  her!  that  was  simply  impossible. 
Yet  it  said :  "  That  ye  may  be  the  children  of 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven;  "  and  what  did 
that  mean  if  not  that  people  who  refused  to 
obey  the  orders  would  not  be  counted  his  chil- 
dren? 


262 


CHAPTER  XVII 

AFTER    THE    STORM 

THAT  August  day  which  began  by  be- 
ing very  bright,  clouded  over  early 
and  by  ten  o'clock  a  dreary  rain  was 
falling.  The  storm  increased  in  violence 
until,  by  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  some 
of  Mrs.  Perkins's  boarders  said  it  was  much 
more  like  the  last  of  November  than  the 
last  of  August.  The  wind  blew  in  fierce  gusts 
and  the  air  had  a  nip  in  it  that  did  really  remind 
of  November.  Just  before  dark  it  was  an- 
nounced to  Mag  Jessup  that  the  fire-place  in  the 
great  parlor,  which  had  been  filled  all  summer 
with  lovely  dried  grasses  and  plumy  ferns,  was 
to  be  cleared  out  and  a  fire  laid  and  started. 

"  It  is  perfect  nonsense !  "  said  Mrs.  Perkins 
in  caustic  tones.  "  Nobody  needs  a  fire  in  the 
parlor,  any  more  than  a  cat  needs  two  tails ;  but 
some  of  them  have  taken  a  notion  that  they  do, 

263 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

and  that  is  just  as  bad  as  though  they  did. 
Trust  people  who  have  nothing  to  do,  to  get  up 
notions  that  make  work  for  others;  they  will 
do  it  every  time!  " 

Mag  Jessup  was  .rather  glad  than  otherwise 
that  this  bit  of  work  had  fallen  to  her.  The 
parlor  was  full  of  a  dusky,  shadowy  light  made 
by  the  fading  day;  she  could  see  to  do  her 
work,  and  yet  the  shadows  were  thickening  so 
fast  that  no  one  who  might  happen  to  enter  the 
room  could  see  her  very  plainly,  and  she  felt, 
this  poor  little  mouse,  as  though  it  would  not 
be  possible  any  longer  to  get  along  without  a 
quiet  cry.  Nothing  that  would  hinder  her 
work,  nor  make  disturbance  in  any  way,  but 
just  a  chance  to  let  the  tears  chase  each  other 
down  her  cheeks.  All  day  long  she  had  hunted 
in  vain  for  such  a  chance ;  the  day  had  been  an 
unusually  busy  one,  made  so  by  the  unexpected 
storm.  Nobody  in  the  large  house  had  the  re- 
motest idea  where  his  rubbers  had  last  been  left ; 
and,  as  for  umbrellas,  the  fairies  seemed  to 
have  hidden  them.  Several  children  who  had 

264 


AFTER  THE  STORM 

gone  to  the  spring-house  to  play,  had  to  be  hur- 
ried after  with  wraps,  and  cautions ;  and  Norah, 
made  cross  by  the  upsetting  of  certain  plans  of 
hers,  had  wanted  constant  waiting  on  between 
times.  The  twilight  and  the  fire-place  were 
Mag's  first  helps  toward  solitude.  While  she 
got  on  her  knees  to  lay  the  sticks  scientifically, 
she  let  the  tears  have  it  their  own  way.  Her 
tired  little  heart  felt  almost  broken. 

"  What  is  the  use?  Oh,  what  is  the  use?  " 
it  kept  drearily  asking  of  her ;  and  a  mean-spir- 
ited creature,  that  seemed  to  have  an  abode  in- 
side her,  kept  muttering  that  there  wasn't  any 
use ;  she  might  as  well  give  it  all  up.  She  wasn't 
the  Lord's  servant  any  more;  and  couldn't 
be.  He  wouldn't  have  her  unless  she  would 
love  Margaret  Lancaster ;  and  she  never  could, 
never!  As  for  being  his  jewel,  that  was  all  a 
mistake,  of  course.  She  had  thought  she  was, 
she  had  meant  to  be;  but  here  was  something 
he  said  she  must  do,  and  she  couldn't;  and  of 
course  he  wouldn't  have  her  for  a  jewel  after 
that. 

265 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

With  such  words  whispered  at  her  all  day, 
was  it  any  wonder  that  Mag  wanted  to  cry? 
She  laid  the  fire,  however,  with  utmost  care, 
and  swept  up  the  hearth,  then  looked  about  for 
matches.  The  boarders  were  already  taking 
supper  in  the  dining-room;  in  a  few  minutes 
they  would  be  trooping  in,  and  Mrs.  Perkins 
had  told  her  to  be  sure  to  have  the  fire  going 
well  before  they  came.  She  struck  a  match 
and  showed  how  skillfully  she  had  done  her 
work  by  the  cheerful  sputter  that  began  imme- 
diately among  the  kindlings,  and  the  ruddy 
glow  that  presently  filled  the  room  with  light. 
It  showed  distinctly  the  tears  that  were  still 
slowly  traveling  down  the  little  girl's  cheeks. 
They  were  perfectly  plain  to  Fred  Ainsworth, 
who  had  come  in  the  back  way,  because  of  his 
dripping  umbrella,  and  had  at  the  moment 
stepped  to  the  parlor  door  to  learn  what  made 
that  sudden  light.  Then  he  meant  to  hurry  in 
to  his  belated  supper.  Instead,  he  went'  for- 
ward into  the  room. 

"  Halloo !  "  he  said.     "  What  have  we  here  ? 

266 


AFTER  THE  STORM 

You  don't  say  you  are  trying  to  put  that  fire  out 
with  tears!  What  a  waste  of  water!  Why, 
everything  is  soaking  outside;  if  you  could  just 
turn  it  out  on  the  road,  instead,  it  would  be 
quenched  in  two  seconds." 

Mag  tried  to  laugh;  this  was  such  a  funny 
idea ;  she  did  make  a  hysterical  little  noise  that 
she  meant  for  a  laugh,  but  it  sounded  more  like 
a  sob.  Mr.  Frederick  came  near  to  her. 

"What  is  it,  Mag?"  he  said  kindly,  in  a 
changed  tone.  "  Something  very  bad  must 
have  happened,  I  am  sure.  "  What  can  it  be  ?  " 

Whereupon  Mag  struggled  with  her  tears 
and  overcame  them  and  spoke  distinctly,  though 
very  low : 

"  I  can't  do  it,  Mr.  Frederick ;  I've  got  to 
give  everything  up,  I  suppose;  and  it  makes 
me  feel  dreadful;  I  don't  see  how  I  can  give 
up,  but  yet  I  must,  of  course,  because  I  can  not 
do  it." 

"  Nothing  was  ever  clearer ! "  he  said,  with 
great  gravity.  "  Let  me  see  if  I  can  repeat  it : 
'  I  can't  do  it;  I've  got  to  give  it  up;  I  can't 

267 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

give  it  up,  yet  I  must,  because  I  can't  do  it ! ' 
Is  that  right?     It  is  perfectly  plain,  I  am  sure." 

Then  Mag  really  had  to  laugh  a  little;  but 
it  was  only  a  very  little.  In  a  second  she  was 
grave. 

"  I  don't  know  how  to  tell  you,"  she  said 
mournfully.  But  by  dint  of  much  questioning, 
she  succeeded  at  last. 

"  I  begin  to  comprehend,"  her  listener  said. 
"  You  consider  my  cousin  Margaret  your 
enemy,  and  you  find  that  you  can't  love  her,  and 
Miss  Ordway  has  shown  you  in  the  Bible  that 
in  that  case  it  is  all  up,  with  you.  Is  that 
right?" 

Mag  nodded  her  head. 

"  It  is  a  bad  case,"  he  said  gravely.  "  I'll 
own  that  I  don't  think  you  have  any  great 
reason  to  love  my  cousin ;  still  I  don't  think  she 
really  means  to  be  your  enemy." 

"  But  she  has  been  mean  to  me,"  said  Mag 
earnestly,  "and  said  mean  things  about  me; 
you  don't  know  how  many,  Mr.  Frederick. 
Lora  Woodruff  told  me  all  about  it." 

268 


AFTER  THE  STORM 

"  I  dare  say !  I  could  find  something  in  the 
Bible  about  Lora  Woodruff  I  believe,  that  it 
might  do  her  good  to  see ;  but  about  your  case, 
I  think  you  said  you  were  willing  to  pray  for 
Margaret  ?  " 

"Oh,  yes  sir;  I  haven't,  but  I  most  know 
I  could;  and  if  it  was  only  that,  I  would  try; 
but  there's  that  word  '  love,'  Mr.  Frederick." 

"  I  see.  You  don't  believe  in  any  half-meas- 
ures ;  still,  if  I  were  you,  I  should  try  the  pray- 
ing. I've  heard  wise  people  say  that  when  they 
prayed  for  persons  they  didn't  like,  the  feeling 
they  had  for  them  changed,  sometimes.  I  don't 
know  anything  about  it  myself,  Mag,  but  I 
heard  a  very  good  woman  say  that  once — one 
who  knew  more  about  the  Bible  than  I  should 
if  I  lived  a  hundred  years."  And  the  young  fel- 
low gave  a  little  homesick  sigh  as  the  picture  of 
his  dear  grandmother  came  vividly  before  him 
at  that  moment,  with  her  serene  old  face  framed 
in  a  white  cap,  an  open  Bible  always  on  the 
table  at  her  side. 

Mag  was  looking  at  him  intently  with  very 

269 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

wide-open,  anxious  eyes,  that  presently  changed 
in  expression,  and  seemed  full  of  wondering 
awe. 

"  I  never  thought  of  that,"  she  said  slowly, 
"  I  thought  I  must  not  pray  for  her  because  I 
did  not  love  her;  the  love  comes  first  in  the 
verse;  but  maybe,  seeing  God  knows  just  how 
it  is,  he  would  help  me." 

"  It  is  worth  trying,  I  assure  you,"  said  Mr. 
Frederick,  and  now  there  was  a  broad  smile 
on  his  face.  All  at  once  the  ridiculousness  of 
it  came  upon  him — Miss  Ordway  and  himself 
trying  to  explain  the  Bible  and  teach  Christian 
duty  to  this  child !  "  Physician,  heal  thyself !  " 
he  repeated  as  he  went  toward  the  dining-room. 
"  If  the  mouse  knew  enough,  she  might  quote 
that  old  proverb  to  us  with  relish." 

But  Mag  was  not  thinking  of  either  of  them ; 
her  mind  was  full  of  a  great  and  solemn 
thought.  God,  who  knew  her  much  better  than 
Miss  Ordway  or  Mr.  Frederick  did,  knew  that 
she  could  not  make  herself  love  Miss  Margaret, 
and  perhaps  in  his  greatness  he  would  find  a 

270 


Beside  the  cot  she  knelt." 


AFTER  THE  STORM 

way  to  help  her,  if  she  only  asked  him.    Why 
had  she  not  thought  of  this  before? 

I  think  the  angels  must  have  looked  that 
night  upon  a  sight  to  interest  them.  A  bare 
little  room  boarded  off  by  a  very  thin  partition 
from  the  larger  attic  where  others  of  the  help 
slept ;  a  room  furnished  only  by  a  small  cot  bed, 
a  pine  box  turned  on  its  side  and  its  top  covered 
with  newspaper,  for  a  washstand,  and  orna- 
mented with  a  bright  tin  basin  and  a  broken- 
nosed  water  pitcher;  and  a  three-legged  stool 
for  a  seat — this  was  Mag  Jessup's  room.  Be- 
side the  cot  she  knelt,  a  small  figure  in  a  dark 
blue  calico  nightgown — Mrs.  Perkins  made 
nightgowns  out  of  old  colored  wrappers,  be- 
cause they  showed  soil  less  than  white  ones. 
The  rain  had  ceased  suddenly  and  the  moon 
was  struggling  with  clouds,  and  occasionally 
got  the  better  of  them  and  filled  the  little  room 
with  glory;  and  bathed  in  it  was  the  little  soul 
that  wrestled  on  her  knees  with  the  old  prob- 
lem of  how  to  forgive  one  who  had  injured  her. 
She  did  not  know,  poor  child,  how  old  a  story 

271 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

it  was;  she  thought  in  her  ignorance  that  she 
was  the  first  person  in  this  great  sinful  world 
who  had  found  it  hard,  even  to  impossibility,  to 
do  right. 

She  did  not  kneel  long;  children's  prayers  if 
perfectly  sincere  are  always  very  short;  Mag 
had  not  many  words  to  say,  and  when  they 
were  said,  she  waited  a  minute  and  said  the 
very  same  words  again,  not  that  she  felt  it  was 
necessary,  but  because  the  repeating  them  in 
some  way  comforted  her.  Then  she  laid  her- 
self down  on  her  very  short  and  narrow  cot 
and  fell  asleep  at  once ;  for  she  had  worked  hard 
all  day  and  was  tired. 

She  was  awakened  in  the  morning  by  a  sound 
of  voices  outside  her  door.  She  recognized  the 
voices ;  they  were  Jane's  the  chambermaid,  and 
the  nurse  girl,  who  assisted  Margaret  Lan- 
caster's aunt  in  the  care  of  the  invalid. 

"  Well,  and  how  is  she  this  morning  ?  "  Jane 
was  asking. 

"  She  isn't  very  good  and  that's  a  fact ! " 
was  the  emphatic  answer.  "  She's  as  cross 

272 


AFTER  THE  STORM 

as  two  sticks;  but  I  don't  know  as  I  blame 
her  very  much,  poor  thing !  It  is  awful  dull  for 
a  young  girl  like  her  to  be  lying  there  day  after 
day ;  she  ain't  used  to  it,  you  see ;  and  last  night 
her  foot  pained  her  a  good  deal ;  she  got  out  of 
patience  with  it  yesterday  and  gave  it  an  ugly 
twitch  or  two  that  made  her  have  a  hard  night. 
I  reckon  she'll  have  a  chance  to  learn  patience, 
though,  before  she  gets  through.  Have  you 
heard  what  the  doctor  told  her  aunt 
yesterday  ?  " 

No,  Jane  had  heard  nothing.  The  voices 
dropped  a  little  lower,  but  still  Mag  could  hear 
distinctly. 

"  Why,  don't  you  think  he  is  afraid  her  foot 
will  never  be  just  right  again!  He  had  over 
some  big  words  that  I  guess  nobody  but  himself 
understood,  but  they  meant  that  there  is  some 
kind  of  a  twist  to  it  that  they  don't  often  get 
over.  He  said  she  might  have  to  walk  with  a 
cane,  or  she  might  get  so  that  she  wouldn't  need 
a  cane,  but  he  was  afraid  there  would  always 
be  a  limp;  and  I  guess  it  would  about  kill  her 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

if  she  knew  it;    for  she  looks  like  a  proud 
piece." 

They  talked  longer,  but  their  voices  sank  to 
whispers,  and  Mag  made  no  effort  to  hear 
more ;  she  had  heard  enough.  Poor,  poor  Mar- 
garet !  Her  heart  swelled  with  such  a  sense  of 
pity  as  she  had  never  felt  for  any  one  before. 
Those  beautiful  small  feet  of  which  their  owner 
had  evidently  been  so  proud!  and  now  to  have 
a  "  twist "  in  one  of  them  that  would  not  get 
well!  Mag  hopped  up  and  began  the  process 
of  washing  and  dressing  in  haste.  It  was  still 
early,  but  she  felt  in  a  great  hurry.  For  what  ? 
Her  fingers  came  to  a  full  stop  as  she  asked  her- 
self that  question  and  waited  for  the  answer, 
and  realized  what  it  meant.  She  felt  in  a  hurry 
to  do  something  for  Margaret  Lancaster! 
Something  to  comfort  her,  cheer  her,  help  her 
in  some  way.  Then  did  she  actually  love  her 
a  little,  after  all  ?  Oh,  never  mind,  she  did  not 
know;  perhaps  the  name  of  it  was  not  "  love," 
but  it  was  named  something  different  from 
what  she  had  felt  before.  She  must  get 

274 


AFTER  THE  STORM 

downstairs  and  see  if  there  were  any  asters  in 
bloom  of  that  queer  pale  color  that  Miss  Mar- 
garet liked  so  much.  Nobody  had  taken  her 
any,  and  Mrs.  Perkins  said  she  did  not  care 
how  many  were  picked,  there  were  going  to  be 
shoals  of  them.  She  had  no  time  for  the  asters, 
after  all.  Norah  called  to  her  and  kept  her  feet 
running  hither  and  thither,  although  she  knew 
she  was  downstairs  nearly  half  an  hour  earlier 
than  usual.  At  last  came  the  order  to  toast  a 
slice  of  bread  for  "  Miss  Fussy !  " — that  was 
Norah's  name  for  the  invalid.  Never  was  bread 
more  carefully  toasted;  and  the  milk  to  be 
poured  over  it  was  heated  to  just  the  point  that 
escaped  that  disagreeable  "  scum  "  which  was 
occasionally  allowed  to  gather.  Then  Mag  ar- 
ranged the  tray  with  utmost  care,  choosing  a 
plate  that  she  felt  sure  Miss  Margaret  would 
like,  and  a  tiny,  shell  like  cup  for  her  cocoa. 
When  all  was  ready  she  asked  eagerly,  "  Norah, 
may  I  just  fly  out  to  the  garden  and  get  an  aster 
or  two  for  it,  before  I  take  it  up?  " 

"  An  aster  or  two! "  repeated  Norah  in  fine 

275 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

scorn ;  "  folks  can't  eat  asters ;  and  by  Jane's 
tell  she  is  cross  enough  this  morning  to  throw 
them  at  your  head;  but  I'm  sure  I  don't  care; 
git  'em  if  you  want  to."  And  Mag  brought 
them,  pale  and  pure  and  wet  with  dew.  Her 
face  was  bright  when  she  entered  the  upstairs 
room  with  her  tray. 

"  Good  morning,"  she  said  cheerily,  "  I've 
brought  you  some  lovely  toast,  and  an  egg  that 
was  laid  this  very  morning  for  you,  and  a  cup 
of  cream  for  the  toast." 

"  I  hate  the  sight  of  toast ;"  said  Margaret, 
crossly.  "  Why  didn't  you — oh,  there  are  as- 
ters !  I  thought  I  should  be  down  stairs  before 
they  were  ready.  I  don't  believe  I'm  ever  going 
down  stairs.  I  believe  that  hateful  old  doctor 
is  cheating  me,  telling  me  I  will  be  better  next 
week,  and  next  week  and  all  the  time  he  knows 
that  I'm  never  going  to  get  well."  She  pushed 
the  tray  from  her,  and  burying  her  face  in  the 
pillow  burst  into  a  passion  of  tears. 

Oh  poor  Margaret !  It  was  the  only  thought 

276 


AFTER  THE  STORM 

the  little  attendant  had.  Every  vestige  of  dis- 
like, or  aversion,  or  indignation  had  gone  out 
of  her  heart.  She  was  sorry  for  Margaret,  yes, 
and  she  loved  her!  how  could  anybody  help  it, 
when  she  was  sick  and  felt  so  badly,  and  had 
a  twist  in  her  foot  that  perhaps  never — and 
here  Mag  felt  a  choking  sensation  in  her  throat 
and  was  afraid  that  she  too  would  cry.  This  • 
would  never  do. 

"  Won't  you  take  a  swallow  of  the  cocoa 
while  it  is  nice  and  hot?"  she  asked  timidly, 
"  and  you  can't  think  what  is  under  this  saucer. 
It  is  a  surprise  on  purpose  for  you;  something 
that  you  like,  I  guess,  ever  so  much." 

Curiosity  presently  got  the  better  of  tears; 
Margaret  peeped  and  found  a  wonderful  cluster 
of  Niagara  grapes,  the  first  of  the  season  in  that 
part  of  the  world.  Before  she  knew  it,  she  was 
pressing  great  globes  of  cool  sweetness  between 
her  lips,  and  tasting  of  the  cream  toast  and 
delicately  poached  egg,  and  taking  sips  of  the 
cocoa.  And  Mag,  eager,  alert,  patient,  was 

277 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

holding  the  tray  at  just  the  right  angle  and 
keeping  the  napkin  ready  for  the  dainty  grape- 
stained  fingers,  intent  on  helping  Miss  Mar- 
garet Lancaster  to  just  as  good  a  time  as  cguld 
possibly  be  secured. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

"  WHAT  MADE  YOU   CHANGE  ?  " 

LOOK  here,"  said  Frederick  Ains worth, 
detaining    Miss    Ordway  as    she  was 
passing    through    the  hall,    "  who  is 
responsible  for  the  present  condition  of  things, 
you  or  I  ?  " 

Miss  Ordway  laughed.  "  What  a  large  ques- 
tion !  "  she  said.  "  Do  you  refer  to  the  weather, 
or  the  state  of  the  crops,  or  the  fact  that  vaca- 
tion is  almost  over  ?  " 

"  I  refer  to  the  small  brown  child  upstairs ; 
it  is  simply  angelic,  the  way  in  which  she  is 
humoring  my  cross  cousin's  most  unreasonable 
whims !  and  it  is  but  a  short  time  since  I  found 
her  bathed  in  tears  over  the  fact  that  you  had 
shown  her  that  the  Bible  and  her  treatment  of 
the  said  cousin  did  not  agree !  " 

"  It  was  not  that  she  did  anything  very  dread- 
ful to  poor  Margaret,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  still 

279 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

laughing,  "  but  the  little  mouse  did  not  try  to  be 
cheerful,  and  quaint,  and  interesting,  as  she  can 
be,  and  I  wondered  what  was  the  matter;  then 
I  found  that  she  was  nursing  a  terrible  state  of 
things  in  her  poor  little  heart,  so  I  tried  to  talk 
to  her  on  a  level  with  her  own  theories,  that 
was  all.  I  confess  that  the  result  is  surprising. 
No  angel  could  have  been  sweeter  or  brighter 
than  she  has  been  ever  since  to  Margaret." 

"  She  is  a  very  curious  little  girl,"  said  Fred- 
erick, with  the  air  of  a  man  of  thirty.  "  I  like 
to  study  her ;  I  confess  that  I  do  not  understand 
her  in  the  least.  My  cousin  Margaret  hasn't 
been  especially  gracious  to  her,  as  I  happen  to 
know;  and  since  she  has  been  ill,  she  hasn't 
spared  any  of  us,  but  Mag  seems  to  have  risen 
above  it  all  in  a  way  that  is  really  wonderful  in 
a  child.  But  what  amuses  me  the  most  is  the 
fact  that  you  and  I  seem  to  be  responsible  for 
this  development;  and  as,  in  Mag's  opinion,  it 
is  altogether  in  a  religious  line,  the  query  is, 
how  came  we  to  know  so  much  about  it  ?  " 

"  Do  you  think  I  know  no  more  about  re- 

280 


"WHAT  MADE  YOU  CHANGE?" 

ligion  than  you  do,  you  saucy  boy  ?  "  said  Miss 
Ordway,  trying  to  keep  the  whole  question  on 
the  plane  of  a  joke;  then,  despite  this  attempt, 
her  face  grew  suddenly  grave. 

"  I  know  what  you  mean,"  she  said,  "  and 
I  have  no  hesitation  in  confessing  that  the  little 
homeless  orphan  girl  puts  us  both  to  the  blush. 
At  least  I  ought  to  be  ashamed;  I  do  not  re- 
member my  mother,  but  father  certainly  tried 
to  instil  Bible  principles;  and  theoretically  I 
know  a  great  deal  about  religion." 

"  I  don't  understand  it,"  said  Frederick  again 
— "  I  mean  I  don't  understand  Mag.  I've 
known  little  people  before  who  jabbered  Bible 
verses  and  said  prayers,  even  in  public,  in  their 
children's  meetings,  and  did  both  very  much  as 
parrots  might ;  meaning  nothing  but  words.  I 
always  thought  it  was  a  pity  to  teach  children 
a  lot  of  grown-up  words  and  ways  that  they 
could  not  be  expected  to  understand.  Nothing 
that  I  ever  saw  in  the  lives  of  those  whom  I 
watched  matched  their  words." 

"  I  know,"  said  Miss  Ordway ;  "  I  have  seen 

281 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

such  children  as  you  describe,  but  Mag  is  dif- 
ferent. I  don't  mind  owning  that  I  am  study- 
ing her  with  the  deepest  interest.  I'll  tell  you 
what  I  think  makes  the  difference  between  her 
and  others.  She  means  business.  Show  her  a 
Bible  verse  and  she  immediately  acknowledges 
it  as  containing  orders  for  her,  and  sets  about 
obeying  them.  When  I  showed  her  the  verses 
about  loving  enemies  and  praying  for  people 
who  ill-treated  her,  I  thought,  in  view  of  her 
state  of  mind  toward  your  cousin,  that  she  had 
reached  something  that  would  stop  her.  But, 
behold !  before  the  next  day  closed  she  had  al- 
tered her  manner  toward  Margaret  entirely.  I 
was  curious  enough  to  question  her,  and  I 
found  that  she  was  perfectly  childlike  in  her 
explanations — there  is  the  most  delicious  mix- 
ture of  child  and  woman  about  her!  She  had 
no  theories  to  advance,  and  in  fact  was  so  in- 
terested in  Margaret,  and  so  eager  to  make  the 
time  pass  less  drearily,  that  she  had  no  special 
interest  in  theorizing  about  it.  '  I'm  so  sorry 
for  her !  Miss  Ordway,'  she  said,  and  '  I  can't 

282 


"WHAT  MADE  YOU  CHANGE?" 

help  liking  to  help  her  now.  I  don't  think  I 
could  have  meant  anything  I  said  yesterday; 
only  I  thought  I  did;  but,  anyhow,  I  don't 
now ; '  and  away  she  flew  to  carry  a  glass  of 
milk  to  Margaret.  Frederick ! "  with  a  sud- 
den change  of  tone. 

"  Yes'm,"  said  Frederick,  meekly;  he  and 
Miss  Ordway  had  grown  to  be  very  firm 
friends. 

"  Isn't  it  time  that  you  and  I  began  to  take 
lessons  of  little  Mag?  I  confess  to  you  that 
the  child  has  something  that  I  would  give  a 
great  deal  to  possess — a  certain  settled  faith  in 
God  as  her  Father;  a  certain  assurance  that  he 
will  make  all  things  '  work  together  for  her 
good  ' — that  is  certainly  worth  having." 

"  How  did  she  get  it  ?  "  asked  Frederick, 
curiously.  "  She  is  a  very  ignorant  child,  im- 
mensely ignorant  about  a  thousand  things  that 
girls  of  her  age  generally  know,  and  has  had 
no  religious  instruction  whatever.  How  did 
a  child  like  that  jump  suddenly  into  such  mys- 
terious knowledge  and  experience  as  this  ?  " 

283 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  Didn't  I  tell  you  ?  She  obeyed  orders.  You 
should  hear  her  tell  the  story — it  is  simplicity 
itself.  It  was  your  own  book,  the  one  you  gave 
her  last  Christmas,  that  began  her  education. 
She  found  there  that  Some  One  called  her  to 
come  to  him;  and  she  had  been  told  that  she 
must  run  just  as  soon  as  she  was  called ;  so  she 
went ;  and  he  did  the  rest !  That  is  all  that  she 
knows  about  the  process;  but  any  one  can  see 
how  it  is  'transforming  her  life.  Frederick,  I 
really  envy  her." 

The  boy  looked  at  her  curiously  for  a  mo- 
ment, then  laughed  a  little  as  he  said :  "  I  do 
myself,  at  times.  She  seems  to  have  such  a  set- 
tled conviction  that  Somebody  who  can  man- 
age her,  and  events,  and  everything,  has  taken 
her  in  charge.  I  think  of  it  often  now  that  my 
mother  is  " — his  voice  faltered  and  stopped ;  for 
a  moment  he  could  not  add  a  word.  All  Miss 
Ordway's  heart  went  out  in  sympathy  for  him ; 
she  knew  how  the  sentence  might  end  in  his 
thought.  He  struggled  with  his  pain  and  at 
last  added — "  is  not  well ;  but  that  is  nonsense ; 

284 


"  WHAT  MADE  YOU  CHANGE  ?  " 

of  course  it  is  on  account  of  the  warm  weather ; 
she  will  be  all  right  when  the  cool  bracing  days 
come." 

"  I  hope  so,"  Miss  Ordway  said,  trying  to 
speak  cheerfully ; "  but  Frederick,  I  am  wonder- 
ing whether  you  and  I  can  not  profit  by  this 
poor  little  girl's  example.  We  both  have  Bibles 
and  I  think,  from  something  you  told  me,  that 
we  give  about  equal  attention  to  them.  What 
if  we  should  reform  ?  Little  Mag  goes  steadily 
through  her  Bible  and  takes  each  direction  as  it 
comes.  She  gets  along  wonderfully  well,  but 
I  think  I  should  begin  with  the  New  Testa- 
ment. Suppose  we  together  turn  over  a  new 
leaf  and  see  what  will  come  of  it?" 

"  How  far  do  you  mean  that  the  leaf  shall  be 
turned  ?  "  he  asked,  studying  her  face  the  while, 
to  see  if  she  was  really  in  earnest. 

"  Why,  entirely  over.  If  you  will  join  me  I 
will  agree  to  read  a  chapter  in  my  New  Testa- 
ment every  day,  and  order  my  life  by  its 
directions." 

"  There  is  more  than  that,"  he  said  quickly; 

285 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

and  he  spoke  in  the  tone  of  one  who  felt  afraid 
that  he  might  be  referring  to  something  that  his 
listener  would  not  in  the  least  understand. 

"More  that  what?"  asked  Miss  Ordway 
briskly ;  "  you  speak  in  riddles." 

"  I  don't  think  I  can  explain  very  well ;  I  am 
not  used  to  talking  on  such  subjects."  His  face 
flushed,  and  he  turned  half  away  from  Miss 
Ordway,  but  she  waited  for  more. 

"  What  I  mean  is,"  he  said,  beginning  with 
difficulty,  "  that  the  reading  of  the  Bible  is 
but  a  small  part  of  it." 

"  Of  course  it  is ;  but  I  added,  living  up  to 
its  directions." 

"  Yes,  but  there  is  more  than  that ;  or,  rather 
it  isn't  possible  to  do  that  without  something 
else.  Miss  Ordway,  you  said  that  you  had 
more  training  in  these  matters  than  I;  don't 
you  know  what  I  mean?  I  think  they  call  it 
conversion." 

"  Oh,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  "  yes,  I  know 
what  you  mean;  but,  Frederick,  that  isn't  our 
part,"  He  looked  at  her  blankly. 

286 


"WHAT  MADE  YOU  CHANGE?" 

"  Don't  you  understand  ?  Our  part  is  to  fol- 
low the  directions,  and  God  does  the  rest." 

"  One  can't  follow  the  directions,  Miss  Ord- 
way.  I  know  more  about  the  Bible  than  you 
think  I  do.  Very  early  in  your  reading  of  the 
New  Testament  you  will  come  to  commands 
or  inferences,  that  it  isn't  possible  for  me,  at 
least,  to  carry  out.  Take  the  very  direction  that 
you  pointed  out  to  poor  little  Mag  about  for- 
giving your  enemies,  and  blessing  them  that 
curse  you,  and  doing  good  to  them  that  you 
hate,  and  all  the  rest  of  it.  Don't  you  think 
you  see  me  living  up  to  such  a  state  of 
things!" 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Ordway,  firmly,  "  if  little 
Mag  can  do  it,  you  and  I  ought  to  be  able  to. 
The  truth  is,  Frederick,  we  do  not  know  what 
we  could  do  if  we  had  the  help  that  Mag  se- 
cured. Don't  you  believe,  when  she  prayed  that 
night,  that  she  received  the  strength  she  asked 
for?  I  do.  The  question  is,  have  you  and  I 
strength  of  character  enough  to  take  a  decided 
stand.  Choose  the  Bible  for  our  guide-book, 

287 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

and  Jesus  Christ  for  our  guide,  and  let  him  do 
with  us  as  he  will?  I've  been  thinking  about 
this  for  a  long  time — ever  since  little  Mag  set 
me  at  it,  indeed,  and  as  you  are  the  one  who  set 
her  to  thinking,  it  seems  as  though  you  ought 
to  join  me." 

Some  time  before  this  they  had  moved  away 
from  the  hall  and  were  standing  near  a  little  side 
table  in  the  parlor.  Miss  Ordway  was  resting 
her  hand  for  support  on  a  great  book  which  lay 
there ;  as  she  closed  her  earnest  words,  looking 
up  at  the  young  fellow's  face,  he  laughed  a 
slight,  embarrassed  laugh.  "  I  don't  know 
where  to  begin,"  he  said  at  last. 

"  Begin  at  the  beginning ;  I  have.  Look 
here."  She  opened  the  Bible  and  turning  the 
leaves  quickly  reached  the  verse,  "  Follow  me 
and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men." 

"  There,"  she  said,  "  that  is  the  beginning, 
so  far  as  I  understand  it.  I  have  resolved  to 
follow  him.  The  mysterious  part — the  change 
that  must  come  over  my  feelings,  and  plans, 
and  hopes,  before  I  can  do  what  he  wants — I 

288 


"WHAT  MADE  YOU  CHANGE?" 

look  to  him  to  give.  Frederick  will  you  join 
me?" 

Upstairs,  Margaret  Lancaster  was  studying 
a  question  that  interested  her.  She  had  been 
crosser  than  usual  that  morning ;  various  things 
had  happened  to  cause  this.  In  the  first  place, 
Miss  Ordway's  friends,  the  Duanes,  had  gone 
back  to  town,  and  she  had  not  so  much  as  been 
able  to  see  them  for  a  few  minutes.  It  is  true 
that  this  was  because  she  declined  to  receive  a 
call  from  them  in  her  bedroom;  she  wanted  to 
be  carried  downstairs  to  the  sitting-room,  and 
as  the  doctor  would  not  allow  this,  the  whole 
plan  had  to  be  given  up. 

"  As  if  I  wanted  girls  like  the  Duanes,  who 
live  in  style  all  the  while,  to  come  up  to  this 
stuffy  little  bedroom,  and  call  on  me  in  bed !  " 
she  said  angrily,  and  held  stoutly  to  her  de- 
termination to  do  no  such  thing.  Then  her  foot 
and  back  took  revenge  on  her  for  being  so  rest- 
less, and  ached  nearly  all  night.  So  the  morn- 
ing found  her  hard  to  get  on  with;  even  her 
gentle  aunt  nearly  lost  patience  with  the  poor 

289 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

girl's  whims.  When  Frederick,  who  was  mak- 
ing his  morning  call,  ventured  to  suggest  that 
the  kinks  that  used  to  be  in  Margaret's  hair 
must  have  somehow  got  into  her  temper,  that 
young  lady  broke  all  bounds. 

"  I  wish  you  would  every  one  of  you  go 
away,"  she  said,  turning  on  her  pillow  and 
speaking  in  the  most  querulous  of  tones,  "  you 
are  all  tired  of  me,  I  can  see  that  plainly;  and 
Fred  is  just  as  disagreeable  as  he  can  be;  I 
don't  know  what  he  comes  up  here  for;  I  am 
sure  I  have  enough  to  try  me  without  him.  I 
wish  everybody  would  let  me  alone;  send  Mag 
here;  she  is  the  only  one  in  the  house  who 
knows  how  to  make  it  pleasant  for  me  or  cares 
to  try." 

Fortunately  her  aunt  had  left  the  room  be- 
fore this  tirade  began;  so  the  nurse  girl  and 
Frederick  were  the  ones  who  had  the  benefit 
of  it.  The  young  fellow  had  borne  a  good  deal 
from  his  cousin  that  morning,  and  just  what 
he  might  have  been  tempted  to  say  in  reply, 
had  not  Mag  at  that  moment  appeared,  no  one 

290 


"WHAT  MADE  YOU  CHANGE?" 

will  know.  He  lingered  to  see  the  cheerful  pa- 
tience with  which  she  greeted  the  nervous  in- 
valid's ill-humor,  and  then  went  down  to  his 
talk  with  Miss  Ordway.  Perhaps  it  is  no  won- 
der that  he  felt,  just  then,  the  impossibility  of 
following  out  the  teachings  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, even  with  regard  to  friends,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  enemies. 

The  contrast  between  the  Mag  of  the  present 
and  the  Mag  who  had  attended  her  during  the 
first  few  days  of  her  illness,  presently  struck 
Margaret  Lancaster,  and  she  began  a  search 
after  the  reason. 

"  What  was  the  matter  with  you  when  I  was 
first  hurt  ?  You  were  just  as  glum  as  you  could 
be,  and  didn't  try  to  do  anything  to  make  the 
time  pass." 

Poor  truthful  Mag!  What  was  she  to  an- 
swer to  such  a  question?  Yet  there  was  some- 
thing very  sweet  to  her  in  the  suggestion  that  it 
gave.  "Am  I  different  now?"  she  could  not 
help  asking  timidly.  She  had  tried  so  hard  to 
be  helpful. 

291 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  Why,  of  course  you  are ;  you  know  that 
without  asking.  You  tell  some  quite  interesting 
stories — that  is,  they  interest  me  now,  when  I 
can't  read,  nor  go  anywhere,  nor  see  anybody 
worth  seeing,  and  you  do  as  well  as  you  can, 
I  guess  " — this  in  a  tone  of  great  condescension 
— "  but  at  first  you  didn't.  I  thought  you  were 
stupider  than  ever,  and  really  hateful  some  of 
the  time.  What  was  the  matter  ?  " 

Mag  looked  down,  her  cheeks  aflame.  How 
could  she  tell  just  the  truth?  Yet,  of  course, 
she  must  tell  nothing  else. 

"  I  didn't  love  you,"  she  said  at  last,  in  the 
lowest  and  most  timid  of  tones.  Margaret  was 
very  much  astonished. 

"  Didn't  love  me !  "  she  repeated.  "  Mercy ! 
What  had  that  to  do  with  it?  Who  asked  you 
to  love  me  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  think  you  had  been  good  to  me," 
murmured  Mag,  "  and  I  couldn't  feel  right  and 
love  you,  and  want  to  help  you,  and  comfort 
you." 

"  The  idea !   How  did  you  want  me  to  treat 

292 


«  WHAT  MADE  YOU  CHANGE  ?  " 

you,  pray?  Well,  what  made  you  different  all 
of  a  sudden  ?  Do  you  love  me  now  ?  " 

"  Yes."  Mag  looked  up  with  sweet  eyes  and 
met  the  fixed  gaze  unflinchingly.  "  I  do  love 
you  now,  and  want  to  help  make  the  time  pass 
faster,  and  do  everything  for  you  that  I 
possibly  can." 

"  Why  do  you  ?    What  made  you  change  ?  " 

Mag's  eyes  drooped  again,  but  her  voice 
came  low  and  clear.  "  I  prayed  about  it ;  I 
asked  God  to  show  me  how  to  love  you,  and 
want  to  do  for  you,  and  want  you  to  be  happy, 
and  he  did." 

"  You  prayed  about  me !  Well !  if  ever  I 
heard  of  anything  so  queer  in  my  life!  As  if 
praying  to  love  people  would  do  any  good,  any- 
way! I  don't  believe  you  have  what  they  call 
common  sense,  Mag  Jessup!  I  don't,  really; 
you  are  so  awfully  queer.  But  I  don't  care, 
since  you  amuse  me.  Finish  that  silly  story 
now.  What  became  of  the  prince  ?  " 


293 


CHAPTER  XIX 

A  NEW   HOME 

IT  was  a  January  day,  clear,  cold  and  beau- 
tiful.    Mag  Jessup  was  standing  on  the 
steps  of  a  handsome  house  in  Clinton 
avenue  waiting  for  her  car. 

She  had  changed  a  good  deal  since  the  days 
when  she  had  waited  on  Margaret  Lancaster, 
and  shelled  peas,  and  picked  over  berries  and 
pared  vegetables  on  the  back  porch  of  Mrs. 
Perkins's  summer  boarding-house.  For  one 
thing,  she  had  grown  taller,  and  her  form  had 
rounded  out  and  her  complexion  cleared.  She 
was  still  brown  of  skin,  but  on  her  cheeks  was 
the  glow  of  health,  and  the  eyes,  that  had  been 
considered  too  large  for  her  face,  now  matched 
it  better.  Perhaps  her  dress  had  much  to  do 
with  the  change;  it  was  by  no  means  rich  or 
expensive,  but  it  fitted  her  perfectly,  and  was 
very  neatly  made  in  the  prevailing  style,  and 

294 


A  NEW  HOME 

the  colors  harmonized  with  her  eyes  and  skin. 
Her  hair,  too,  had  changed.  It  was  still  a  sunny 
brown,  but  it  had  grown  thick  and  long,  and 
was  very  carefully  brushed,  and  tied  back  with 
ribbons. 

Greater  changes  than  these  had  come  to  Mag 
Jessup;  and,  for  that  matter,  to  others  who 
made  her  world. 

In  the  first  place,  Miss  Ordway  was  Miss 
Ordway  no  longer,  but  Mrs.  Ward  Duane, 
by  which  means  Elise  and  Elsie  Duane,  those 
winsome  young  girls  who  had  come  with  their 
sister  to  Mrs.  Perkins's  summer  boarding- 
house,  had  become  her  sisters.  Mrs.  Duane 
lived  in  Clinton  avenue  now,  the  same  city  that 
held  Mrs.  Perkins  and  her  winter  boarding- 
house,  but  miles  away  from  the  latter ;  and  Mag 
Jessup  had  lived  on  Clinton  avenue  ever  since 
the  new  home  was  established  there.  It  had 
been,  all  that  summer,  part  of  Miss  Ordway's 
little  plan  to  bring  this  to  pass,  but  as  she  was 
not  ready  to  explain  the  steps  by  which  she 
meant  to  do  it,  she  had  naturally  not  spoken  of 

295 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

it  even  to  Fred  Ainsworth,  despite  his  many 
plans  for,  and  anxieties  about,  Mag  Jessup's 
future. 

Several  weeks  before  the  wedding  took  place, 
however,  Mag  Jessup  knew  that  she  was  to  be 
table  waitress  and  general  errand  girl  for  Mrs. 
Ward  Duane,  and  was  happy.  There  had  been 
more  trouble  in  bringing  this  state  of  things  to 
pass  than  Mag  knew  about.  Mrs.  Perkins  had 
decidedly  opposed  it,  and  it  was  feared  for  a 
time  that  the  whole  scheme  would  have  to  be 
abandoned.  She  declared  that  she  was  the  one 
who  had  had  all  the  care  of  Mag,  and  the  trou- 
ble of  bringing  her  up,  in  the  days  when  she 
was  good  for  nothing  but  to  be  in  the  way,  and 
now  when,  after  careful  training,  she  was  really 
beginning  to  make  herself  useful,  it  was  unrea- 
sonable to  suppose  that  she,  Mrs.  Perkins, 
would  be  willing  to  let  her  go,  and  ungrate- 
ful in  the  child  to  be  willing  to  go;  but 
gratitude  was  not  what  she  expected  in  this 
world. 

It  was  Kate  Perkins  who  finally  helped  to 

296 


A  NEW  HOME 

turn  the  scale.  Kate  knew  that  Miss  Ordway, 
when  she  became  Mrs.  Duane,  intended  to  send 
the  little  girl  to  school,  and  she  assured  her 
mother  that  it  would  be  "  too  mean  for  any- 
thing "  to  keep  Mag  away  from  people  who 
were  rich  enough  to  dress  her  up,  and  give  her 
the  chances  that  she  ought  to  have.  Perhaps 
there  was  no  one  in  the  world  whose  good  opin- 
ion Mrs.  Perkins  valued  more  than  she  did  that 
of  her  plain-spoken  daughter  Kate,  who  seemed 
to  have  what  her  mother  called  "  odd  ideas."  A 
few  talks  with  this  young  daughter  determined 
her  to  change  her  mind,  and  without  much  fur- 
ther trouble  Mag  Jessup  was  transferred  to  her 
new  home,  as  soon  as  the  Duanes  returned  from 
their  wedding  trip. 

In  almost  every  way  the  home  had  been  a 
surprise  to  her. 

She  began  by  being  much  astonished  at  Mrs. 
Duane's  directions  to  her  to  wear  her  "best 
clothes  "  every  day ;  and  in  discovering  very 
soon  afterwards,  that  the  much-worn  blue 
dresses  that  she  had  brought  in  a  neat  package 

297 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

from  Mrs.  Perkins's  were  given  to  the  little 
colored  girl  who  came  for  cold  pieces. 

"  They  were  not  suited  to  your  present 
work,"  Mrs.  Duane  explained.  "  I  want  you 
to  be  always  ready  to  receive  my  callers  and 
show  them  into  the  parlor,  and  in  order  to  do 
this  properly  you  must  be  neatly  dressed;  be- 
sides, Mr.  Duane  and  I  like  to  be  waited  upon 
at  the  table  by  a  little  girl  who  looks  as  well  as 
she  can." 

Mag  said  not  a  word,  but  obeyed  orders,  not 
without  some  inner  misgivings  in  regard  to 
Sunday.  Mrs.  Duane  had  assured  her  that  she 
should  go  regularly,  not  only  to  Sunday-school, 
but  to  church,  and  if  she  wore  her  best  dress 
every  day,  and  her  lovely  brown  hat  and  sack 
whenever  she  went  out  on  errands,  how  long 
would  they  look  well  enough  to  wear  to  church  ? 
Before  the  second  week  in  her  new  home  had 
closed,  her  heart  was  set  at  rest.  A  new  Sun- 
day dress  and  hat  and  coat  were  waiting  for 
her  when  she  went  upstairs  from  the  dining- 

298 


A  NEW  HOME 

room  on  Saturday  evening.  Quite  new,  every 
bit  of  them;  not  made  from  anything  that  had 
been  worn  before !  It  was  Mag's  first  perfectly 
new  dress.  Her  way  of  receiving  the  gifts  was 
like  Mag  Jessup.  She  came  down  to  Mrs. 
Duane's  room  after  breakfast  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing, dressed  as  she  had  been  directed,  in  the  new 
garments,  and  with  her  Bible  in  her  hand  open 
to  the  place  that  had  become  very  familiar  to 
her  since  the  days  in  which  she  had  "  found 
Margaret  Lancaster  in  it."  Her  eyes  were 
shining  and  her  voice  was  very  sweet  as  she 
said: 

"  If  you  please,  Mrs.  Duane,  I  have  found 
verses  just  for  me ;  and  I'm  not  going  to  '  take 
thought '  about  it  any  more." 

"  That  sounds  serious,"  said  Mrs.  Duane, 
smiling.  "  As  a  rule,  people  do  too  little  think- 
ing, instead  of  too  much.  What  have  you 
found?" 

So  Mag  read :  "  Take  no  thought  saying, 
'What  shall  we  eat?'  or,  'What  shall  we 

299 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

drink?  '  or,  '  Wherewithal  shall  we  be  clothed?' 
For  your  heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye 
have  need  of  all  these  things." 

"  I  was  worried,"  confessed  Mag,  "  for  fear 
I  should  get  my  best  dress  looking  so  bad,  from 
wearing  it  every  day,  that  you  would  not  think 
it  would  do  to  wear  to  church  and  Sunday- 
school,  and  I  thought  about  it  a  good  deal ;  and 
there  wasn't  any  use,  because  he  knew  all  the 
time  that  I  was  going  to  have  a  beautiful  new 
one  on  purpose  for  church." 

Mrs.  Duane  laughed.  "  So  that  is  what  has 
been  filling  your  thoughts,  is  it?"  she  said, 
pleasantly,  "  and  you  have  decided  to  do  no 
more  thinking  along  that  line?  A  very  good 
resolution;  I  advise  you  to  keep  it  as  long  as 
you  can.  An  excellent  rule  in  life  I  have  found 
to  be,  thus  far,  to  think  about  what  I  wear  only 
as  much  as  is  necessary  in  order  to  be  properly 
clothed.  While  you  stay  with  me,  Mag,  I  will 
see  to  it  that  you  have  clothes  for  every  day, 
and  for  Sunday,  too."  In  that  way 
the  dress  question  was  settled;  but  there 

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A  NEW  HOME 

were  other  very  astonishing  things,  among 
them,  Mag's  own  room.  It  was  not  large, 
but  it  seemed  so  to  her;  there  were  two  win- 
dows, and  they  were  dressed  in  white ;  so  were 
the  bed  and  the  bureau,  and  everything,  for 
that  matter,  that  could  be. 

"  You  are  so  fond  of  white,"  said  Mrs. 
Duane,  well  pleased  that  she  had  made  Mag's 
great  eyes  sparkle,  "  that  I  thought  I  would 
dress  your  room  in  it;  the  covers  are  very 
simply  made,  and  are  easily  washed.  I  will 
teach  you  how  to  take  care  of  them  yourself, 
and  to  make  new  ones  to  use  in  exchange  for 
these."  There  was  white  matting  on  the  floor, 
and  a  crimson  and  white  rug  at  the  bedside. 
Mag  thought  it  the  most  beautiful  room  in  the 
world.  Occasionally  there  came  to  her  a  wist- 
ful feeling  that  Margaret  Lancaster  could  see 
it.  Margaret's  mother  and  father  had  come 
home,  and  they  were  all  spending  the  winter  in 
this  same  great  city ;  but  they  lived  in  a  different 
world  from  Mrs.  Duane,  and  Mag  thought  she 
was  not  likely  ever  to  see  Margaret  Lancaster 

3°  i 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

again.  Never  mind,  what  did  it  matter,  since 
she  had  a  lovely  new  home,  and  everybody  was 
just  as  kind  and  nice  to  her  as  they  could 
be? 

But  the  most  astonishing  change  to  Mag  was 
that  she  went  to  school.  Nothing  whatever 
had  been  said  to  her  about  that ;  and  it  came  to 
her  that  October  morning  with  all  the  charm  of 
a  great  surprise.  It  is  true  that  Margaret  Lan- 
caster would  not  have  called  it  going  to  school, 
but  I  am  in  doubt  whether  a  better  school,  all 
things  considered,  could  have  been  found  for 
Mag  than  was  established  in  the  library  at  No. 
636  Clinton  avenue.  Mr.  Duane,  who  was  him- 
self a  student,  and  a  specialist  in  English  his- 
tory, had  been  very  much  amused  at  his  wife's 
account  of  little  Mag's  way  of  studying  her  one 
book.  He  questioned  and  cross-questioned  the 
little  girl  at  different  times,  until  he  learned  ex- 
actly how  much  she  knew  about  history,  and 
was  astonished  with  the  result.  "  I  never  be- 
fore realized,"  he  said  to  his  wife,  "  that  so 
much  could  be  learned  from  one  book,  and  a 

302 


A  NEW  HOME 

child's  book  at  that ;  but  the  little  girl  certainly 
has  a  talent  for  history;  it  must  be  cultivated." 
So  he  set  about  cultivating  it;  every  day  he 
gave  an  hour  out  of  his  busy  life  to  the  hitherto 
neglected  little  girl,  with  a  view  to  teaching  her 
the  best  way  of  learning  the  great  story  of  the 
past.  Mrs.  Duane  for  her  part  undertook  to 
teach  the  other  common  branches  of  study. 
They  had  talked  it  over  together  and  decided 
that  Mag's  knowledge  and  ignorance  were  both 
so  surprising  that  for  a  time  it  would  be  use- 
less to  send  her  to  school.  She  would  not  grade 
anywhere.  She  was  an  excellent  reader,  having 
taught  herself  to  read  as  though  every  word 
interested  her  deeply,  as  indeed  it  did.  But  she 
knew  almost  nothing  about  numbers,  and  was 
alarmingly  ignorant  of  geography,  save  that 
portion  of  it  which  had  to  do  with  her  beloved 
book.  By  reason  of  her  habit  of  copying  scraps 
of  writing  wherever  she  found  them,  she  had 
learned  to  write  a  remarkably  good  hand;  and 
because  she  had  lived  upon  her  three  books, 
the  Bible,  Little  Pillows,  and  the  Child's  His- 

3°3 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

tory  of  England,  she  had  learned  to  express 
her  ideas  in  remarkably  good  language.  All 
these  puzzling  contradictions  would  simply 
bewilder  the  ordinary  teacher,  and  it  was  there- 
fore decided  that  for  the  first  year  Mag  should 
be  trained  to  study  at  home,  with  a  view  to  her 
"  catching  up  "  so  as  to  be  on  a  level  with  girls 
of  her  age. 

So  it  came  to  pass  that  this  small  woman 
who  had  expected  to  be  at  all  times  at  the  call 
of  the  cook  or  chambermaid,  and  to  make  her- 
self useful  in  a  hundred  ways  between  times, 
found  that  she  was  held  as  carefully  to  regular 
hours  as  though  Mrs.  Duane  had  kept  a  private 
school  for  training  little  girls.  She  had  her 
morning  duties  in  the  dining-room  and  parlor, 
as  well  as  in  her  own  room;  but  at  ten  o'clock 
she  was  expected  to  go  to  her  books.  A  small 
room  opening  out  of  Mrs.  Duane's  own  sewing- 
room  was  fitted  up  with  books,  maps,  black- 
board and  all  conveniences,  and  here  Mag 
Jessup  was  to  spend  her  happy  hours  until  one 
o'clock.  When  Mrs.  Duane  sat  in  her  sewing- 

3°4 


A  NEW  HOME 

room,  Mag  was  at  all  times  at  liberty  to  go  to 
her  with  a  question  or  a  perplexity.  During 
this  time  the  bell  might  ring  and  ring  again  for 
all  attention  Mag  was  to  pay  to  it.  At  one 
o'clock  she  became  little  table  waitress  again, 
but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duane,  when  quite  alone, 
amused  themselves  and  helped  her  by  enter-- 
ing into  conversation  with  her  concerning  the 
work  she  had  been  doing  that  morning ;  so  that 
it  grew  to  seem  like  a  free  and  easy  recitation 
instead  of  the  luncheon  hour. 

Following  luncheon,  there  was  nearly  always 
some  errand  to  do  or  message  to  take  that  gave 
the  little  girl  a  brisk,  purposeful  walk  in  their 
end  of  the  town.  On  Tuesdays,  Mrs.  Duane's 
day  for  receiving  guests,  Mag,  neatly  dressed, 
was  in  the  hall  ready  to  welcome  callers;  but 
she  had  always  a  book  on  the  little  table  at  the 
end  of  the  hall  for  her  use,  and  between  the 
bells  was  at  liberty  to  read  or  study.  On 
Thursday,  which  was  Mr.  Duane's  leisure  day, 
he  always  went  out  somewhere  with  his  wife; 
but  the  other  afternoons  that  lady  devoted 

3°5 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

largely  to  her  painting,  and  it  was  Mag's  duty 
and  delight  to  bring  her  books  and  go  over 
with  this  quaint  and  winning  teacher  the  work 
of  the  morning.  Mr.  Duane,  who  was  usually 
released  from  business  cares  by  four  o'clock 
on  four  days  of  the  week,  gave  the  little  girl  the 
hour  from  five  to  six  for  history.  Take  it  all 
in  all,  a  wider  contrast  to  the  life  she  used  to 
live  at  Mrs.  Perkins's  boarding-house  could 
hardly  have  been  imagined  than  the  one  Mag 
was  living  in  Clinton  avenue ;  yet  to  those  who 
knew  only  the  outside  of  things  she  was  merely 
table-waiter  and  general  errand  girl  for  the 
Duanes. 

"  Mag  doesn't  go  to  school,  after  all !  "  said 
Kate  Perkins  in  a  disappointed  tone  to  her 
mother  the  evening  after  she  had  chanced  to 
meet  Mag  on  the  street.  "  I  thought  they  as 
good  as  promised  to  send  her,  mother,  if  you 
would  let  them  have  her?  " 

"  So  they  did,"  said  Mrs.  Perkins,  taking 
three  pins  out  of  her  mouth  in  order  to  answer ; 
she  was  trying  to  refit  one  of  Kate's  worn-out 

306 


A  NEW  HOME 

dresses  to  the  little  girl  who  had  taken  Mag's 
place,  and  it  was  hard  work,  for  the  girl  was 
taller  and  stouter  than  Kate,  and  not  so  easy  to 
suit  as  Mag  had  been.  Mrs..  Perkins  missed 
little  Mag  in  many  ways.  "  So  they  did,"  said 
she,  "  but  I  thought  at  the  time  that  they  would 
probably  forget  it  as  soon  as  they  got  hold  of 
her.  The  truth  is,  Mag  had  been  taught  and 
trained  and  drilled  until  she  was  really  becom- 
ing a  very  useful  girl,  and  Miss  Ordway  was 
sharp  enough  to  see  it.  I  have  never  felt  very 
much  pleased  with  the  way  in  which  she  coaxed 
the  child  away  from  me.  It  is  just  as  I  said  at 
the  time — I  had  all  the  work  and  she  reaps  the 
benefit  And  this  creature  we  have  now,  in 
Mag's  place,  is  a  nuisance  if  ever  there  was 
one." 

"  Well,"  said  Kate,  her  tone  still  dissatisfied, 
"  I'm  real  sorry  for  Mag;  she  ought  to  go  to 
school,  and  I  thought  Miss  Ordway  would  be 
sure  to  send  her ;  she  said  a  good  deal  about  it 
last  year." 

Said  Mrs.  Perkins :  "  Of  course  she  ought, 

307 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

arfd  if  she  had  stayed  with  me,  she  would  have 
gone ;  I  fully  meant  to  get  around  to  it  this  win- 
ter. It  is  one  thing  to  find  fault  with  other  peo- 
ple, and  quite  another  to  do  things  yourself. 
Mrs.  Duane  finds,  I  suppose,  that  it  is  not  so 
easy  to  hire  a  servant  and  then  send  her  to 
school.  Mag  has  become  a  very  useful  girl, 
thanks  to  my  training." 

Mrs.  Perkins  honestly  believed  that  she 
would  have  sent  Mag  to  school  if  she  had  had 
her,  and  honestly  believed  that  it  was  entirely 
her  training  that  had  made  Mag  a  useful  girl. 
For  that  matter,  her  training,  undoubtedly,  had 
a  good  deal  to  do  with  it,  for  Mrs.  Perkins  was 
a  very  neat  woman,  and  knew  how  work  should 
be  done.  The  higher  training  that  Mag  had 
received  through  her  three  books  the  weary 
housekeeper  did  not  understand. 


CHAPTER  XX 

A  MEMORABLE  BIRTHDAY 

MAG  would  by  no  means  have  appreci- 
ated the  pity  that  Kate  Perkins  be- 
stowed on  her.  She  was  royally 
happy.  To  study  and  learn  had  been  her  am- 
bition ever  since  Frederick  Ainsworth  had 
spoken  to  her  about  it  so  earnestly ;  now  she  was 
doing  it.  A  better  school  than  she  attended  she 
believed  could  not  have  been  found,  and  she  was 
undoubtedly  right.  Both  Mrs.  and  Mr.  Duane 
knew  how  to  help  people  to  learn,  and  were 
deeply  interested  in  their  pupil.  The  little  girl 
made  most  surprising  progress,  and  by  the  time 
she  reached  her  fifteenth  birthday  it  had  been 
decided  that  she  was  now  fairly  ready  for 
school  life. 

What  school  should  be  chosen  had  been  a 
matter  of  grave  importance  to  Mrs.  Duane, 
who  had  her  own  theories  about  education.  The 

3°9 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

public  school  of  their  ward  was  a  long  distance 
from  their  home,  and  it  happened  that  Mrs. 
Duane  knew,  and  did  not  in  the  least  approve, 
two  of  the  teachers  under  whose  care  Mag 
would  naturally  be.  After  much  talk  between 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duane  they  agreed  upon  a  plan 
that  would  undoubtedly  astonish  many  of  their 
acquaintances;  but,  fortunately,  they  did  not 
care  for  that.  Just  a  pleasant  ride  from  their 
home,  and  not  a  very  long  walk  from  it,  on 
pleasant  days,  was  a  private  school,  for  whose 
chief  Mrs.  Duane  had  the  highest  respect. 

She  took  not  many  pupils,  and  all  were  girls, 
and  she  watched  over  their  interests  in.  every 
possible  way.  Of  course  to  attend  this  school 
was  a  somewhat  expensive  matter,  but  Miss 
Ordway  had  had  money  enough  for  her  own 
needs  before  she  married  a  wealthy  man.  Why 
should  they  not  send  their  little  maid-servant  to 
a  school  that  cost  money,  if  they  chose  to  do  so  ? 
Before  Mag  knew  anything  about  it,  all  ar- 
rangements had  been  made,  and  on  this  Janu- 
ary morning,  when  she  stood  waiting  for  a  car, 

310 


A  MEMORABLE  BIRTHDAY 

she  was  about  to  begin  her  life  as  a  pupil  at  the 
Garland  Place  school. 

"  You  can  walk  home  if  you  feel  like  it,"  ex- 
plained Mrs.  Duane  in  reply  to  Mag's  protest 
against  spending  money  for  car-fare,  "  but  it 
is  now  so  late  that  you  might  possibly  be  tardy 
if  you  undertook  to  walk,  and  that  would  be  a 
poor  beginning.  Remember,  you  are  to  go  di- 
rectly to  the  office,  that  side  building  that  I 
showed  you  yesterday,  and  give  your  name  and 
street  and  number;  the  secretary  will  attend  to 
the  rest.  Your  name  is  entered  as  Margaret 
Kane  Jessup ;  don't  forget  and  say  '  Mag '  or 
they  may  not  recognize  you." 

Imagine,  if  you  can,  how  Margaret  Kane 
Jessup  felt  as  she  sat  in  the  street  car,  being 
carried  to  her  new  world!  The  cars  had  be- 
come familiar  to  her,  as  she  often  went  of  er- 
rands for  Mrs.  Duane  to  such  long  distances  as 
to  need  to  ride;  more  than  that,  she  had  been 
taken  frequently  on  excursions  that  required 
their  aid,  but  this  was  the  first  time  they  had 
been  used  to  carry  her  on  an  errand  of  her  own. 

3" 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

She  glanced  at  the  conductor  as  she  handed  him 
her  ticket  and  wondered  what  he  would  think 
if  he  knew  she  was  going  to  school. 

Meantime,  in  the  secretary's  office  at  Garland 
Place,  girls  were  gathering  from  all  parts  of 
the  city,  whose  names  had  been  entered  for  the 
midyear  term.  By  ten  o'clock  dozens  of  them 
were  moving  about  the  large,  cheery  school- 
room. The  first  day  of  the  term  was  a  sort  of 
gala  day  in  this  school;  no  very  regular  work 
was  done;  seats  were  chosen,  desks  arranged, 
lessons  assigned,  and  all  things  put  in  order  for 
actual  work  the  next  morning.  During  this 
period  the  girls  were  allowed  to  chat  together 
freely,  and  were  often  left  with  no  teacher  in 
charge.  Such  was  the  state  of  things  when 
Carrie  West  made  her  announcement : 

"  Girls,  we  have  one  new  scholar  this  mid- 
year, at  least.  I  was  in  the  office  when  she  gave 
in  her  name.  It  is  Margaret  Kane  Jessup.  She 
is  a  little  bit  of  a  creature,  not  half  so  large  as 
her  name,  but  she  looks  as  though  she  might  be 
pleasant." 

312 


A  MEMORABLE  BIRTHDAY 

"  Margaret  Kane  Jessup ! "  It  was  our  old 
friend  Margaret  Lancaster  who  repeated  this 
name  very  slowly,  as  though  she  stopped  over 
each  syllable  to  wonder.  "  Are  you  sure,  Car- 
rie? How  queer  that  it  should  be  exactly  the 
same  name !  but  of  course  it  isn't  Mag.  Where 
does  this  girl  come  from?  Did  you  hear  her 
address?" 

"  Yes,  indeed ;  she  is  from  636  Clinton  ave- 
nue. I  noticed  the  number  because  it  is  exactly 
ours,  only  we  are  Pearmain  street  instead  of 
Clinton  avenue." 

Margaret  Lancaster  repeated  the  new 
scholar's  street  and  number  in  precisely  the 
dazed  way  that  she  had  her  name ;  and  the  girls 
turned  and  looked  at  her  curiously,  laughing 
the  while,  as  Carrie  said :  "  What  is  the  mat- 
ter with  you,  Margie,  that  you  '  are  guilty  of 
the  inelegance  of  repeating  all  my  sentences,'  as 
Madame  LaLande  would  say  ?  "  Her  answer 
was: 

"  Carrie  West,  you  must  be  mistaken !  I 
know  the  people  who  live  at  636  Clinton  ave- 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

nue;  it  is  Mr.  Ward  Duane,  the  one  who  mar- 
ried Miss  Ordway,  the  artist,  and  they  have  a 
servant,  a  little  brown  runt  of  a  creature,  named 
Mag  Jessup,  but  of  course  she  wouldn't  be  com- 
ing to  Garland  Place  to  school !  " 

"  I  can't  help  it," insisted  Carrie;"  a  girl  who 
gave  her  name  as  Margaret  Kane  Jessup,  and 
her  number  as  636  Clinton  avenue,  is  in  the 
office  this  minute,  and  Mrs.  Garland  is  talking 
with  her.  If  you  don't  believe  it,  you  can  go 
and  look  at  her." 

This  proved  to  be  unnecessary,  for  at  the 
moment  the  door  leading  from  the  secretary's 
office  opened,  and  Mrs.  Garland  appeared,  and 
behind  her,  of  all  persons  in  the  world,  Mag 
Jessup!  Margaret  Lancaster  knew  her  in  an 
instant,  although  many  things  had  taken  place 
since  she  had  seen  her  that  had  greatly 
changed  Mag  Jessup.  Mrs.  Duane  had  seen  to 
it  that  she  was  quite  as  neatly  dressed  as  any  of 
the  girls.  As  a  rule,  those  who  attended  Mrs. 
Garland's  school  had  sensible  mothers,  so 
nearly  all  the  dressing  was  simple  and  appro- 

3H 


A  MEMORABLE  BIRTHDAY 

priate  to  school  life.  In  truth,  it  was  well 
known  that  Mrs.  Garland  herself  disapproved 
of  any  other  style;  so  there  was  nothing  con- 
spicuous about  little  Mag.  Her  eyes  were  fully 
as  large  as  ever,  but  the  almost  wild  look  that 
they  used  to  have  when  she  was  startled  or  ex- 
cited had  passed  away.  She  was  now  a  becom- 
ingly dressed,  quiet,  well-behaved  young  girl. 
Margaret  Lancaster  could  only  stare  at  her. 
She  did  not  yet  believe  even  the  evidence  of  her 
own  eyes.  It  could  not  be  possible  that  Mag 
Jessup  was  entered  as  a  pupil  at  Garland  Place 
private  school! 

By  noon  it  was  quite  a  settled  thing,  and 
Margaret  gathered  a  few  choice  spirits  about 
her  and  blazed  her  indignation,  "  The  idea ! 
Why,  she  is  just  a  servant;  she  used  to  live  at 
that  Mrs.  Perkins's  on  East  street,  the  one  who 
keeps  a  large  boarding-house.  '  Mistaken ! ' 
Why,  Addie  Phillips,  I  know  her  as  well  as  I 
do  you.  When  we  went  to  the  country  a  year 
ago  last  summer,  we  boarded  with  Mrs.  Per- 
kins at  her  summer  boarding-house,  and  this 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

little  brown  thing  was  one  of  her  servants.  She 
picked  berries,  you  know,  and  shelled  peas,  and 
pared  potatoes,  and  did  all  sorts  of  things. 
Why,  she  was  the  one  who  waited  on  me  a 
great  deal,  after  I  was  hurt;  of  course  I  know 
her.  When  Miss  Ordway  married  Mr.  Duane 
she  took  Mag  with  her  to  be  table-waiter.  I 
remember  we  laughed  about  her  having  such  a 
small  table-waiter.  I  must  say  I  think  it  is 
queer  to  have  her  come  here  with  all  of  us. 
What  will  we  do  with  her?" 

"  I  don't  see  that  we  are  called  upon  to  do 
anything  with  her,"  laughed  one  of  the  girls; 
"  that  is,  if  she  behaves  herself ;  she  looks  like 
a  nice,  modest  little  creature.  I  don't  suppose 
she  will  hurt  any  of  us.  Why  didn't  you  go  up 
and  speak  to  her,  Margie,  if  you  knew  her  so 
well?  She  must  have  felt  rather  lonesome 
among  all  us  girls." 

Margaret  drew  herself  up  as  well  as  her 
lameness  would  allow,  for  the  poor  girl  had 
never  recovered  from  that  wild  drive  that  she 
took  on  the  day  of  the  picnic,  and  said  haugh- 

316 


A  MEMORABLE  BIRTHDAY 

tily :  "  I  don't  know  her  as  a  school  girl ;  I 
never  made  her  acquaintance  in  that  line,  and 
never  expect  to.  If  she  has  come  here  to  work 
for  Mrs.  Garland,  I  will  speak  to  her,  of  course, 
just  as  I  would  to  any  servant ;  but  at  present  I 
don't  know  her." 

Several  of  the  girls  laughed ;  and  one  more 
outspoken  than  the  others,  said  "  Margie,  you 
are  too  silly  for  anything,  sometimes!  What 
difference  does  it  make  whether  the  new  scholar 
is  a  servant,  or  what  she  is,  so  long  as  she 
behaves  herself?  " 

When  Margaret  moved  slowly  and  haughtily 
away,  they  talked  about  her  a  little,  as  school 
girls  will. 

"  Isn't  it  queer  that  Margie  Lancaster  should" 
have  such  grand  ideas,  and  feel  so  superior  to 
almost  everybody?  Her  father  isn't  a  very 
wealthy  man;  my  father  says  he  is  quite  em- 
barrassed, and  that  he  has  lost  a  good  deal  of 
money  lately." 

"  My  mother  says  that  Margie  Lancaster  is 
too  old  for  her  years,"  contributed  one.  "  Just 

31? 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

think !  she  isn't  fourteen  yet,  and  she  talks  and 
acts  like  a  young  lady." 

"  She  always  did,"  laughed  a  girl  who  was 
older  than  the  others.  "  I  am  nearly  three 
years  older  than  she,  and  I  felt  like  a  very  little 
girl  who  ought  to  be  in  a  kindergarten  the  first 
time  I  met  her.  She  has  been  used  to  grown- 
up people  all  her  life,  they  say,  and  has  never 
learned  to  act  like  a  young  girl.  She  looks  older 
than  she  is,  too ;  and  that  is  against  her.  Ma- 
dame LaLande  could  hardly  believe  me  one  day 
when  I  happened  to  say  that  Margie  wasn't 
fourteen  yet.  '  Why,  Mademoiselle  Hervey ! ' 
she  said,  '  she  is  older  than  yourself, 
certainmente.' ' 

"  Well,  I  wonder  if  that  new  little  girl,  who 
has  disturbed  Margie  so,  looks  younger  than 
she  is,"  said  Carrie  West.  "  It  doesn't  seem  as 
though  she  was  old  enough  to  join  any  of  our 
classes." 

But  Carrie  West  discovered  her  mistake  in 
a  few  days.  "  Miss  Jessup,"  as  the  teachers 
called  her,  was  not  only  in  the  same  language 

318 


A  MEMORABLE  BIRTHDAY 

class  with  the  other  girls  of  nearly  her  age,  but 
was  also  in  the  leading  history  class  in  the 
school.  In  certain  studies  she  was  not  yet  their 
equal,  but  from  the  very  first  recitation  in  his- 
tory it  became  apparent  that  they  must  look 
well  to  their  honors  if  they  did  not  mean  to 
allow  little  Mag  to  carry  them  off. 

For  the  first  few  days  Mag  can  not  be  said  to 
have  had  a  very  social  time  with  her  school- 
mates. Margaret  Lancaster  refused  to  ac- 
knowledge her  presence  even  by  a  bow,  al- 
though at  their  first  meeting  Mag  had  looked 
pleasantly  at  her,  expecting  some  sort  of  greet- 
ing. Her  face  took  on  a  deeper  red  for  a  mo- 
ment when  she  found  that  she  was  not  to  be 
noticed,  but  she  turned  away  without  a  word, 
and  opened  her  book  as  soon  as  possible.  Sev- 
eral of  the  girls  who  were  more  or  less  under 
Margaret's  influence,  although  they  felt 
ashamed  of  her,  held  aloof  from  Mag,  not 
knowing  quite  what  to  do;  and  others  who 
were  busy  with  their  books,  or  their  fun, 
thought  nothing  about  her ;  and  it  might  have 

3J9 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

been  that  Mag,  who  was  shy  and  quiet,  would 
have  made  no  friends  in  the  schoolroom  had  it 
not  been  for  something  that  happened  when 
she  had  been  there  but  a  few  days. 

One  morning,  reaching  the  schoolroom  ten 
minutes  before  the  bell  rang  for  opening  exer- 
cises, she  was  just  in  time  for  Alice  Wheeler's 
news. 

"  Oh,  girls !  don't  you  think  we  have  two 
new  scholars!  They  have  come  to  spend  the 
rest  of  the  winter  in  the  city,  and  the  girls  are 
to  begin  here  this  morning." 

"Who?"  "What  girls?"  "Why  on  earth 
don't  you  tell  us  what  you  are  talking  about  ?  " 
These  were  some  of  the  ways  of  receiving  the 
news. 

"  Why,  the  Duane  girls ;  Elise  and  Elsie. 
Don't  you  know  them  ?  You  do,  Margie  Lan- 
caster. They  are  just  lovely  girls,  both  of  them. 
They  are  here  with  their  married  sister.  Their 
father  had  to  go  abroad  again  on  business,  and 
Mrs.  Duane  went  with  him;  and  Mrs.  Schuy- 
ler,  their  married  sister,  has  brought  them  here 

320 


A  MEMORABLE  BIRTHDAY 

so  as  to  be  near  her  brother  for  the  winter,  and 
they  are  coming  to  school  this  morning." 

Now  it  happened  that  little  Mag  could  have 
told  that  bit  of  news  two  days  before.  Mrs. 
Duane  had  told  her  all  about  it.  She  and  her 
husband  had  spent  the  evening  before  with  the 
Schuylers  at  the  hotel  where  they  were  staying. 
For  the  first  five  minutes  after  she  heard  the 
news,  Mag's  face  had  glowed  with  pleasure. 
Then  the  light  had  died  out  of  her  eyes,  and 
she  had  said  not  a  word.  She  had  known  Elise 
and  Elsie  Duane  for  only  two  weeks  at  the 
summer  boarding-house,  and  she  had  known 
and  waited  upon  Margaret  Lancaster  all  sum- 
mer. If  Margaret  had  forgotten  her  so  en- 
tirely as  never  to  speak  to  her,  what  could  be 
expected  of  the  Duane  girls? 

Much  excitement  was  created  at  Garland 
Place  over  the  new  arrivals.  All  the  girls  knew 
about  the  Duanes,  and  a  few  of  them  had  the 
honor  of  a  slight  acquaintance.  Among  these 
was  Margaret  Lancaster,  who  had  had  the  good 
fortune  to  meet  them  at  Long  Branch  the  sum- 

321 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

mer  before.  She  was  voluble  in  their  praises, 
and  inclined  to  think  that  she  must  be  the  most 
intimate  acquaintance  they  had  in  the  school.  It 
was  not  until  the  ten  minutes'  recess  at  eleven 
o'clock  that  the  new  scholars  were  introduced 
to  the  school  by  Mrs.  Garland.  It  was  Mar- 
garet Lancaster  who  immediately  moved  for- 
ward and  claimed  acquaintance,  kissing  them 
both  eagerly,  and  telling  them  how  glad  she 
was  to  have  them  in  her  school.  They  seemed 
pleased  with  her  kind  greeting,  but  were  almost 
shy  before  so  many  watching  eyes,  until  Elise, 
looking  eagerly  about  her,  made  a  sudden  dash 
and  rushed  almost  into  little  Mag's  arms. 

"  Oh,  you  dear! "  she  cried  impetuously, 
"  Ward  said  we  would  see  you  here  this  morn- 
ing, and  we  were  oh,  so  glad !  you  can't  think. 
Elsie,  here  is  our  dear  Mag."  Then  Elsie,  too, 
turned  abruptly  away  from  Margaret  Lancas- 
ter and  the  favored  girl  whom  she  had  just  in- 
troduced, and  went  over  to  little  Mag  Jessup 
and  kissed  her  again  and  again.  The  scholars 
looked  on  and  said  nothing.  But  from  that 

322 


A  MEMORABLE  BIRTHDAY 

moment  most  of  them  thought  that  Margaret 
Lancaster  was  probably  mistaken  in  the  place 
that  Mag  Jessup  held  in  the  Duane  family — it 
was  silly  to  suppose  that  the  young  Duanes 
would  greet  a  servant  in  their  brother's  house 
in  any  such  fashion.  Others  of  them  decided 
that  whether  Mag  Jessup  was  a  servant  or  not, 
they  liked  her,  and  meant  to  show  it.  They 
guessed  they  could  afford  to,  if  the  Duane  girls 
thought  so  much  of  her  as  that. 

So  the  Duanes,  all  unknown  to  themselves, 
settled  Mag  Jessup's  place  for  her  in  the  minds 
of  a  number  of  girls  who  had  had  silly  ideas 
put  into  their  minds  by  coming  in  contact  with 
a  few  who  had  secured  those  silly  ideas  from 
people  older  than  themselves.  Mrs.  Garland 
and  her  fellow-teachers  did  what  they  could  to 
keep  their  school  strong  and  pure;  but  they 
could  not  counteract  altogether  the  influence  of 
a  few  foolish  mothers  who  had  allowed  their 
little  girls  to  play  at  being  grown  up  long  before 
they  ought  to  have  thought  of  such  a  thing. 
Perhaps  it  was  really  worse  than  that.  The 

323 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

false  ideas  they  were  allowing  to  take  root  and 
grow  would  have  disgraced  any  age  that  they 
might  reach.  Poor  Margaret  Lancaster,  for 
instance,  had  been  much  with  people  who  had 
led  her  to  believe  that  wealth  and  the  sort  of 
position  that  wealth  gives  in  the  world  were 
really  the  most  important  things  of  life. 


324 


CHAPTER  XXI 

MAG'S  WAGES 

» 

IT  took  but  a  few  weeks  for  Mag  Jessup 
to  become  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
school  routine  and  settle  down  to  hard 
work.  Life  was  not  altogether  blissful  to 
her;  if  she  had  supposed  that  girls  who  went 
every  day  to  school  had  nothing  to  mar  their 
complete  enjoyment,  it  was  probably  as  well 
that  she  was  undeceived.  Margaret  Lancaster, 
without  being  exactly  ugly,  or  at  least  meaning 
to  be,  could  not  forgive  poor  Mag  for  being 
undeniably  a  favorite  of  the  Duanes;  more- 
over, as  the  weeks  went  by  and  Mag  grew 
used  to  reciting  before  others,  it  became  very 
apparent  indeed  that  she  knew  more  about  Eng- 
lish history  and  talked  more  understandingly 
about  it  than  did  any  girl  in  the  class.  She 
had  not  lived  among  the  chief  characters  and 
personated  them  in  her  little  attic  room  all  win- 

325 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

ter  for  nothing.  Now,  Margaret  Lancaster, 
before  Mag's  advent,  had  been  the  leader  in 
this  class;  and  as  she  liked  to  lead,  the  history 
hour  had  been  to  her  the  pleasantest  one  in  the 
day.  All  this  was  past  when  Mag  Jessup  took 
her  acknowledged  place  in  the  class.  For  a 
girl  of  Margaret's  temperament  to  be  outshone 
by  little  Mag  Jessup  was  bitter  indeed.  The 
indifference  with  which  she  had  meant  to  re- 
gard the  young  girl  began  to  deepen  into  posi- 
tive dislike,  and  she  omitted  no  opportunity  to 
say  little  hateful  things  about  Mag;  loud 
enough,  many  of  them,  for  the  girl  to  overhear. 
Mag  had  not  been  long  at  school  before  an  in- 
cident occurred  that  gave  Margaret  a  chance  to 
indulge  in  no  end  of  sarcasm  at  her  expense. 
An  incident  which  was  in  itself  so  funny  that 
many,  who  would  not  otherwise  have  ridiculed 
Mag,  found  themselves  laughing  heartily  at 
her  mistake.  In  order  for  you  to  understand 
it,  it  will  be  necessary  to  remember  that  Mag, 
although  she  had,  considering  her  opportuni- 
ties, learned  a  great  deal,  was  still  very  ignor- 

326 


MAG'S  WAGES 

ant  of  many  matters  that  other  girls  seem  to 
learn  by  a  sort  of  instinct,  and  was  inclined  to 
be  what  people  call  credulous  about  a  great 
many  things. 

It  was  a  custom  in  this  school  for  the  pupils 
to  recite  Bible  verses  at  the  opening  exercises. 
Mrs.  Garland  sat  on  the  little  platform  near  the 
piano  and  herself  called  the  name  of  any  young 
lady  whom  she  chose  to  have  recite.  There 
was  no  rule  about  this,  at  least  none  that  was 
known  to  the  scholars ;  the  same  girl  might  be 
called  upon  five  or  six  mornings  in  succession, 
for  all  that  she  knew  to  the  contrary.  The  di- 
rections were  that  each  pupil  must  always  be 
ready  to  recite  when  called  upon.  It  was  as- 
tonishing to  the  girls  to  see  what  a  wonderful 
memory  Mrs.  Garland  had.  If  a  scholar  gave 
the  same  verse  twice  in  the  course  of  a  week, 
she  was  sure  to  hear  from  the  platform  in 
smoothest  tones,  "  Is  that  verse  a  special  favor- 
ite of  yours,  Miss  Smith !  "  or  "  My  dear  Miss 
Jones,  that  is  a  very  choice  verse,  but  there  are 
others  equally  so ;  you  have  given  it  to  us  sev- 

327 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

eral  times,  I  believe."  The  consequence  was 
that  the  girls  prepared  their  Bible  verses  with 
care,  and  learned  many  of  them,  in  the  course 
of  a  year  at  school. 

One  morning  Mag,  who  enjoyed  this  part  of 
the  day  very  much,  and  who  always  chose  her 
verse  with  great  care,  stood  near  little  Alice 
West's  seat,  waiting  for  the  piano  to  sound  the 
strains  that  meant  "  Be  seated."  While  she 
waited  she  took  up  a  neat  little  black  book  that 
lay  on  Alice's  table.  Small  books  will  probably 
always  have  a  special  attraction,  for  Mag,  be- 
cause they  remind  her  of  her  dear  "  Little  Pil- 
lows." Behold,  the  tiny,  handsomely  bound 
gilt-edged  book  was  a  part  of  the  Bible — the 
book  of  Proverbs  bound  by  itself ;  how  delight- 
ful! Mag  had  often  wished  that  she  had  a 
Bible  so  tiny  that  it  could  be  carried  about 
in  her  pocket.  She  opened  this  one  eagerly. 
More  than  once  she  had  stopped  thoughtfully 
over  the  book  of  Proverbs  in  her  Bible  and 
studied  some  of  the  strange,  quaint  verses ;  she 
had  already  learned  from  the  wise  man  some 

328 


MAG'S  WAGES 

keen  truths.  But  this  morning  her  eyes  were 
held  to  the  words  that  first  met  them :  "  It 
never  rains  but  it  pours ! "  What  could  the 
words  mean  ?  Certainly  not  exactly  what  they 
said,  for  that  very  morning1  a  slow,  gentle  rain 
was  falling;  such  a  rain  as  reminded  the  grass 
and  trees  that  spring  was  on  its  way ;  but  there 
was  nothing  about  it  that  suggested  the  word 
"  pour,"  and  in  Mag's  experience  nothing  was 
more  common  than  those  soft,  silent  rainy  days. 
Of  course  she  had  by  this  time  learned  that 
there  was  such  a  thing  as  figurative  meanings, 
and  being  an  imaginative  girl  had  had  no  diffi- 
culty in  grasping  that  idea,  but  what  this  par- 
ticular verse  was  intended  to  teach,  she  could 
not  imagine.  While  she  stood  considering,  the 
warning  strains  from  the  piano  were  heard, 
and  all  the  girls  were  marching  to  their  seats, 
keeping  step  with  the  music.  Before  Mag  had 
had  time  to  collect  her  thoughts,  she  heard  her 
name  called  by  Mrs.  Garland,  and  knew  that 
her  verse  was  waited  for.  The  beautiful  one 
that  she  had  prepared  for  that  morning's  possi- 

329 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

ble  use  had  for  the  moment  slipped  from  her; 
never  mind,  she  could  use  this  new  strange  one, 
although  she  liked  to  know  what  words  meant 
before  she  spoke  them.  In  the  utter  silence  that 
awaited  her  the  young  girl's  voice  clearly 
sounded  through  the  room,  "  It  never  rains  but 
it  pours."  To  her  dismay  the  recitation  was 
followed  by  a  very  distinct  ripple  of  laughter, 
and  even  Mrs.  Garland  let  an  amused  smile  flit 
over  her  face  as  she  said :  "  You  have  made  a 
remarkable  selection  this  morning,  Miss  Jes- 
sup."  Then  she  touched  the  little  silver  bell 
at  her  side  and  order  was  instantly  restored. 
Throughout  the  service  that  followed,  poor 
Margaret  sat  with  downcast  eyes,  blushing  and 
wondering.  What  was  there  so  strange  in  her 
recitation?  To  be  sure  it  did  not  especially  fit 
the  occasion,  at  least  she  supposed  it  did  not, 
though  when  she  could  not  yet  imagine  what  it 
meant,  how  was  she. to  be  certain?  Still,  other 
girls  recited  verses  that  were  not  even  so  ap- 
propriate as  this,  for  it  certainly  rained  this 
morning ;  and  they  had  not  laughed,  even  when 

33° 


MAG'S  WAGES 

little  Louise  Ellis  repeated  "  Sihon,  king  of  the 
Amorites,  and  Og,  king  of  Bashan."  She 
could  not  understand  it,  and  it  troubled  her  so 
that  she  lost  most  of  the  verses  and  could  not 
join  in  the  singing.  But  Mrs.  Garland's  prayer 
quieted  and  helped  her.  It  was  nearly  an  hour 
afterwards  that  that  lady  called  her  to  the  desk, 
and  after  giving  her  some  general  directions 
about  the  morning's  work,  laid  her  hand  kindly 
on  her  arm  as  she  said :  "  My  dear,  there  are 
girls  in  my  school-room  whom  I  should  have 
suspected  of  a  bad  joke  if  one  of  them  had  re- 
cited at  prayers  the  words  you  gave  us,  but  I 
believe  I  know  you  better.  Will  you  explain 
to  me  what  it  all  means  ?  " 

Margaret  looked  steadily  at  the  open 
grammar  in  her  hand,  and  struggled  with  her 
voice  to  keep  it  from  quivering,  as  she  said: 
"  I  hardly  know  how  to  explain,  ma'am.  I 
saw  the  verse  a  moment  before  in  Alice  West's 
Bible,  and  I  thought  it  a  very  strange  one  and 
could  not  imagine  what  it  meant.  Then,  when 
you  called  my  name  first,  the  verse  I  had 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

learned  did  not  come  to  me,  but  this  one  did, 
and  so  I  said  it." 

Mrs.  Garland's  face  wore  a  look  of  bewilder- 

-* 

ment. 

"  You  found  the  words  in  Alice  West's 
Bible !  "  she  repeated. 

"  Yes,  Mrs.  Garland,  just  this  morning.  I 
never  saw  them  before,  and  I  wanted  to  remem- 
ber them,  to  ask  Mrs.  Duane  what  they  meant." 

"  My  dear,  will  you  go  to  Alice's  table  and 
get  her  Bible  for  me  to  look  at?  " 

Mag  turned  at  once  to  do  so.  Little  Alice 
was  at  that  hour  in  her  recitation  room  with  the 
younger  pupils,  but  the  small  black  book  that 
had  attracted  Mag  lay  on  her  table.  She  re- 
turned with  it  to  Mrs.  Garland's  desk. 

"  It  is  only  a  piece  of  the  Bible  ma'am,"  she 
said,  as  she  passed  it  to  her,  "  but  there  is  the 
verse  on  the  first  page." 

Light  broke  over  the  puzzled  teacher's  face. 

"My  dear,"  she  said,  "I  understand;  you 
thought  this  was  quotations  from  the  Book  of 
Proverbs  in  the  Bible  ?  I  suppose  you  have  not 

332 


MAG'S  WAGES 

met  before  the  word  '  proverb '  used  in  any 
other  way.  It  was  a  most  natural  mistake; 
but  not  a  word  of  this  little  volume  is  taken 
from  the  Bible ;  instead,  it  is  the  supposed  wise 
sayings  of  many  different  men,  gathered  from 
all  classes  of  books." 

"  But  what  can  it  mean  ?  "  asked  Mag,  her 
face  ablaze  with  mortification  over  her  mistake, 
yet  unable  to  let  this  opportunity  for  acquiring 
information  slip  away.  "  It  often  rains  with- 
out pouring;  it  does  this  morning." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Garland,  smiling  a  kind 
indulgent  smile  on  her  ignorant  young  pupil. 
"  It  simply  means  to  express  the  idea  that  when 
a  bit  of  marked  good  or  ill  fortune  come  to  one, 
others  of  like  nature  are  apt  to  follow ;  at  least 
such  has  so  often  been  the  case  that  it  seemed 
natural  to  somebody  to  put  the  thought  into 
this  phrase." 

Poor  Mag !  before  the  day  was  done,  and  in- 
deed for  many  following  days,  she  had  occa- 
sion to  realize  the  truth  of  the  proverb  thus  ex- 
plained. The  discomfort  that  she  felt  because 

333 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

of  her  blunder  was  deepened  and  increased  ten- 
fold by  the  manner  in  which  the  girls  received 
it.  Had  she  dealt  with  only  the  refined  and 
sweet-hearted  Mrs.  Garland,  the  whole  subject 
would  soon  have  been  forgotten,  but  Margaret 
Lancaster  and  those  who  copied  her  took  care 
that  Mag  should  not  forget.  The  moment  she 
appeared  in  the  halls,  at  recess,  or  crossed  the 
grounds  in  the  morning,  or  passed  out  of  the 
great  gateway  at  night,  somebody  was  sure  to 
shout  after  her: 

"  Take  care,  Mag  Jessup,  you'll  get  wet !  " 
or,  "  Oh,  oh !  don't  you  want  to  borrow  an 
umbrella  ?  It  is  going  to  pour,  I  think !  "  or 
some  other  arrangement  of  her  unfortunate 
proverb.  Nothing  was  said  about  all  this  at 
home;  Mag  having  decided  very  early  in  her 
school  experience  that  people  who  had  been  so 
very,  very  kind  as  Mrs.  and  Mr.  Duane,  de- 
served to  hear  only  the  best  and  brightest  news 
from  there,  but  her  own  pretty  little  room  could 
have  told  the  story  of  some  very  bitter  tears, 
had  it.  been  trained  to  speak.  I  have  given  you 

334 


MAG'S  WAGES 

only  an  illustration  of  her  trials;  none  of  them 
large,  nor  serious  in  any  way;  none  of  them 
worth  complaining  about  to  teachers  or  special 
friends,  at  least  so  Mag  thought ;  but  neverthe- 
less most  of  them  were  hard  to  bear,  and 
shadowed  what  else  would  have  been  a  per- 
fectly bright  winter  to  the  orphan  girl.  Yet 
among  those  school  girls  I  suppose  there  was 
scarcely  one  but  would  have  opened  her  eyes 
wide  in  amazement  and  indignantly  denied  the 
charge  of  cruelty  to  their  schoolmate.  Most 
of  them  were  simply  thoughtless  and  fun  lov- 
ing. It  is  worth  thinking  about,  what  heart- 
aches one  can  make  in  the  world  by  simply 
being  thoughtless  and  selfish. 

Meantime,  I  am  sure  there  are  those  who  are 
anxious  to  know  just  how  Mag  Jessup  treated 
her  schoolmates  in  return;  and  when  I  tell 
them  that  she  was  steadily  patient  and  meek 
toward  them,  I  am  sure  there  are  some  who 
will  say :  "  Oh,  nonsense !  I  don't  believe  any- 
thing of  the  kind.  A  girl,  who  had  any  spirit, 
and  was  treated  as  she  was,  would  have  given 

335 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

her  schoolmates  a  piece  of  her  mind.  At  least, 
she  couldn't  help  almost  hating  them."  I  want 
to  assure  you  that  Mag  Jessup  was  a  girl  of 
spirit,  and  that  she  treated  every  one  of  her 
schoolmates  as  kindly  as  she  knew  how,  and,  so 
far  from  hating  them,  tried  in  every  way  to  be 
kind  and  helpful.  You  are  mistaken  in  sup- 
posing such  a  course  impossible.  That  very 
few  people  meet  ill-treatment  in  this  way  only 
goes  to  prove  that  very  few  people  try  Jesus 
Christ's  way.  Mag  Jessup,  remember,  had 
fought  her  battle  and  conquered,  once  for  all. 
Rather,  she  had  discovered  just  what  the  Lord 
Jesus,  whose  servant  she  was,  expected  of  her, 
and  also  that  he  had  said  to  her :  "  My  grace  is 
sufficient,"  and  "  I  will  with  the  temptation 
provide  a  way  of  escape,  that  you  may  be  able 
to  bear  it ; "  and  she  had  taken  him  at  his 
word.  With  every  annoyance,  though  it  was 
no  more  than  a  pin-prick,  she  went  straight  to 
Jesus  Christ,  and  he  was  true  to  his  word,  as 
he  always  is,  and  she  was  able  to  bear  it.  You 
think  her  a  very  unusual  girl  ?  I  grant  that.  I 

336 


MAG'S  WAGES 

am  sorry  to  have  to  admit  it,  but  it  is  a  sad 
fact  that  only  an  occasional  girl,  even  among 
those  who  say  that  Jesus  Christ  has  given  them 
new  hearts  and  that  they  mean  to  serve  him, 
seem  to  believe  exactly  what  he  says,  and  trust 
him  to  help  them  keep  their  word.  If  I  can 
help  those  who  read  this  story  to  realize  that 
Mag  Jessup  was  unlike  other  girls  simply  be- 
cause she  believed,  and  tried,  and  not  because  of 
anything  wonderful  in  the  girl  herself,  I  shall 
have  accomplished  a  great  deal.  If  I  can,  in 
addition  to  that,  induce  others  to  ask  them- 
selves, "  Why  should  not  we  be  unusual  girls 
and  boys  ?  "  and  to  resolve  then  and  there,  to 
try  every  day  to  live  up  to  the  rules  that  Jesus 
has  given,  I  shall  have  accomplished  that  for 
which,  above  all  other  objects,  I  write.  I  am 
sure  that  the  grave  trouble  with  the  lives  of 
many  young  Christians  grows  out  of  the  fact 
that  they  do  not  consider  selfishness  and  occa- 
sional ill  temper,  and  a  nursing  of  the  spirit 
that  cries  for  petty  revenge  for  ill-treatment, 
very  bad  faults ;  instead,  they  think  of  them  as 

337 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

states  of  mind  that,  as  one  girl  expressed  it, 
"  can't  be  helped,  anyhow,  whether  they  are 
very  bad  or  not,  because  they  are  so  perfectly 
natural  that  you've  got  to  feel  them ! "  What 
we  want  is  not  "  natural  "  fruit,  but  that  which 
grows  after  Jesus  has  become  the  Lord  of  the 
heart-garden. 

So  I  want  you  to  understand  that,  despite  the 
petty  troubles  of  her  school  life,  and  the  tears 
she  was  occasionally  obliged  to  shed,  Mag  was, 
for  the  most  part,  a  happy  girl.  She  sang  over 
her  work  at  home  in  a  way  that  pleased  Mrs. 
Duane;  and  she  managed  her  school  work  in  a 
way  to  astonish  and  delight  her  teachers;  for 
that  she  made  really  remarkable  progress  in  her 
studies,  even  the  school  girls  who  liked  her 
least,  admitted.  During  these  days  in  speaking 
of  Mrs.  Duane's  house,  Mag  always  called  it 
"  home."  She  did  not  study  her  own  heart  to 
find  out  the  reason.  She  had  never  spoken  so 
of  Mrs.  Perkins's  house;  she  had  by  no  means 
been  adopted  by  the  Duanes;  she  waited  at 
table  each  day  with  painstaking  care,  and  was 

338 


MAG'S  WAGES 

most  conscientious  in  performing  the  other  du- 
ties that  fell  to  her  share.  She  remembered 
that  she  was  an  orphan,  and  expected  and 
wanted  to  earn  her  living;  yet  without  plan- 
ning to  do  so,  her  heart  and  lips  said  lovingly 
"  home  "  whenever  there  was  occasion.  Mean- 
time, there  was  no  question  of  wages  between 
them,  although  Mag  was  led  to  think  about  it 
once. 

"  Mag  Jessup,"  called  out  Margaret  Lan- 
caster one  morning,  when  Mag  stood  with  a 
group  of  girls  telling  them  exactly  how  she 
had  fixed  certain  troublesome  dates  in  her 
memory,  "  Mag  Jessup,  what  do  the  Duanes 
pay  you  for  your  work?  I  suppose  they  give 
you  good  wages,  don't  they?  They  are  awfully 
rich." 

She  had  meant  to  hurt  the  girl's  feelings,  or 
at  least  to  remind  her  that  she  was  by  no  means 
the  equal  of  the  young  people  to  whom  she  was 
so  eagerly  talking;  but  Mag  was  too  simple 
hearted  to  catch  her  meaning. 

"  Wages !  "  she  said,  breaking  off  abruptly 

339 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

in  her  explanation  as  if  to  consider  an  entirely 
new  idea,  then  her  face  lighting  in  a  way  that 
it  had  when  a  new  and  pleasant  thought  struck 
her, 

"  Why,  they  do ;  they  pay  me — very  large 
wages  indeed." 

The  girls  shouted.  "  Aren't  you  glad  you 
know,  Margie?"  one  of  them  cried,  in  the 
midst  of  the  laughter;  and  Mag  moved  away, 
her  eyes  still  bright.  It  had  really  come  to  her 
like  a  new  thought,  what  wonderful  wages  she 
was  receiving.  For  the  first  time  since  she 
could  remember,  she  had  a  home! 


340 


CHAPTER  XXII 

"  THAT  LITTLE  MAG  JESSUP  " 

IT  was  one  morning  in  May  that  Mag,  ar- 
riving early,  found  the  school-room  in 
a  hum  of  excitement.  Very  splendid 
times  were  in  store  for  some  of  them,  and 
they  were  making  the  hearts  of  others  throb 
with  envy  while  they  told.  Mag,  lingering 
on  the  outskirts,  as  she  was  inclined  to  do 
unless  distinctly  invited  into  the  circle,  heard 
scraps  of  news.  It  all  had  to  do  with  one  whom 
she  remembered  every  day  in  her  prayers 
with  a  gratitude  that  many  of  the  talkers 
would  not  have  understood.  Before  Miss  Ord- 
way  was  married,  "  Mr.  Frederick,"  as  Mag 
continued  to  call  him  in  her  thoughts,  had  been 
suddenly  summoned  to  join  his  father  and 
mother  abroad.  His  friends  bade  him  good- 
bye with  faces  almost  as  sad  as  his  own,  for  he 
was  going  upon  a  sad  errand.  His  mother  was 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

worse,  and  the  gravest  fears  were  felt  lest  he 
could  not  reach  her  in  time  to  say  good-bye. 
Mag  had  heard  of  him  several  times  since  then 
— first,  that  his  mother  was  still  living  when  he 
reached  Italy;  then  that  she  really  seemed  to 
be  gaining  a  very  little;  then  that  there  had 
been  a  decided  change  for  the  better;  finally 
that  there  actually  seemed  to  be  hope  of  her 
entire  recovery,  but  that  she  could  by  no  means 
return  home  as  yet;  therefore  Mr.  Ainsworth 
was  to  come  to  look  after  his  long-deserted 
business,  and  Mr.  Frederick  was  to  stay  abroad 
with  his  mother.  After  that,  by  degrees,  he 
dropped  out  of  Mag's  world.  Mrs.  Duane 
occasionally  heard  of  him  through  his  relatives, 
but  never  thought  to  mention  the  news  to  Mag. 
Still,  as  has  been  said,  she  had  never  forgotten 
him,  and  she  could  not  help  the  sparkle  in  her 
eyes  over  the  news  she  heard  that  May  morn- 
ing. Mr.  Frederick  had  come  home ;  was  actu- 
ally at  that  moment  in  the  same  city  with  her- 
self. The  possibility  was  now  always  before 
her  of  meeting  him  somewhere  and  being  able 

342 


"THAT  LITTLE  MAG  JESSUP" 

to  tell  him  that  she  was  working  hard  for  that 
education  which  he  had  put  it  into-  her  heart  to 
get. 

"  Of  course  I've  seen  him,"  Carrie  Jones  was 
saying.  "  Don't  I  tell  you  I  was  chatting  with 
Margaret  Lancaster  when  he  came  over  to  see 
her?  He  is  Margaret's  cousin,  you  know.  Oh, 
but  that  girl  is  as  proud  of  him  as  a  peacock.  It 
is  too  funny  to  see  the  airs  she  puts  on." 

"  He  used  to  be  a  real  handsome  boy,"  vol- 
unteered Alice  Porter. 

"  He  is  yet ;  only  I  don't  think  you  would 
call  him  a  boy ;  he  always  had  a  way  of  looking 
older  than  he  was,  just  as  Margie  Lancaster 
has,  and  he  does  now.  He  is,  let  me  think — 
why,  he  must  be  about  nineteen,  and  I  should 
take  him  for  twenty-three  or  four.  Oh,  very 
handsome  and  so  stylish,  my!  There  isn't  a 
college  boy  in  this  city  who  can  compare  with 
him." 

"  Yes,  indeed ;  they  have  come  home  to  stay. 
They  have  gone  right  to  their  house  on  Laurel 
avenue;  it  has  been  refurnished,  they  say,  and 

343 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

everything  about  it  is  elegant — that  is,  Margie 
Lancaster  says  so;  but  then  everything  is  al- 
ways elegant  that  belongs  to  her  relatives,  you 
know."  Then  there  was  a  general  laugh  at 
the  absent  one's  expense.  Followed  by  Carrie 
Jones  again : 

"  Well,  of  course  it  is  elegant.  Mrs.  Ains- 
worth  always  had  exquisite  taste.  It  is  nice  for 
Margie  Lancaster,  isn't  it,  to  have  a  handsome 
grown-up  cousin  always  at  hand  to  go  with 
her  to  places?  I'm  afraid  this  world  will  not 
contain  her  very  long,  she  will  be  so  fearfully 
set  up." 

"  Do  the  Lancasters  live  here,  or  are  they 
only  staying?"  This  question  from  a  com- 
paratively new  girl. 

"  Well,  I  think  they  may  be  said  to  be  living 
here  now.  They  have  spent  two  winters  here, 
and  that  is  longer  than  they  stay  anywhere. 
Margie's  father  is  Admiral  Lancaster,  of  the 
United  States  Navy,  as  you  must  have  heard  if 
you  have  talked  with  Margie  for  five  minutes. 
That  is  one  of  the  things  of  which  she  is  proud. 

344 


"THAT  LITTLE  MAG  JESSUP" 

Mrs.  Lancaster  was  abroad  for  more  than  a 
year  to  be  near  her  husband,  and  Margie 
stayed  with  her  Aunt  Helen.  She  was  in  the 
country  with  her  that  time  when  she  was  hurt, 
you  remember,  girls;  then  they  came  on  here, 
and  Margie  entered  this  school,  and  wants  to 
stay  here ;  therefore  they  will  be  likely  to  do  so ; 
she  rules  her  mother,  and  her  father  too,  I 
guess.  I  know  her  better  than  most  of  the  girls 
do,  for  we  used  to  live  in  Chicago,  where  they 
spent  a  good  deal  of  their  time.  They  boarded 
right  next  door  to  our  house.  I  knew  Fred 
Ainsworth  when  he  was  a  little  bit  of  a  fellow ; 
for  he  was  on  there  one  winter  with  his  mother, 
and  we  quarreled  like  cats,  I  remember,  over  a 
balloon  that  we  both  claimed.  But  he  has  for- 
gotten all  about  me;  didn't  succeed  in  remem- 
bering me  very  well,  even  after  I  had  referred 
to  old  times  and  the  balloon,  although  he  pre- 
tended to  for  the  sake  of  politeness ;  he  is  aw- 
fully polite." 

Nobody  invited  Mag  into  the  circle;  nobody 
had  an  idea  that  she  knew  even  Mr.  Frederick 

345 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

Ainsworth's  name,  and  she  was  obliged  at  last 
to  move  away,  still  hungry  for  news  of  him. 
She  had  so  much,  so  very  much  for  which  to 
thank  him !  Could  she  hope  for  a  chance,  some 
time,  to  do  it?  Of  course  he  would  not  re- 
member her;  he  had  not  remembered  even 
Carrie  Jones,  a  beautiful  young  lady,  with 
whom  he  played  when  a  child;  but  that  need 
make  no  difference,  she  could  thank  him  all  the 
same.  He  might  come,  some  time,  to  see  Mrs. 
Duane,  and  she  might  possibly  be  at  home 
and  if  Mrs.  Duane  knew  that  she  wanted  to 
thank  him  she  would  be  sure  to  give  her  a 
chance. 

The  chance  came  much  earlier  than  she  ex- 
pected. That  afternoon  as  she  stepped  into  the 
front  hall  on  her  return  from  school,  she  heard 
a  voice  that  she  felt  sure  she  would  have  known 
anywhere.  "  Mr.  Frederick "  himself,  look- 
ing so  grown-up  and  dignified,  as  she  peeped 
at  him  through  the  half  open  door,  that  she 
almost  decided  she  should  be  afraid  ever  to 
speak  to  him.  Yet  he  was  chatting  eagerly 

346 


"THAT  LITTLE  MAG  JESSUP" 

with  Mrs.  Duane,  asking  questions  with  a  ra- 
pidity that  showed  him  in  haste  to  learn  all 
about  his  old  friends.  Mag  stood  in  the  hall, 
hesitating;  she  had  a  message  of  importance 
for  Mrs.  Duane,  but  she  dreaded  to  deliver  it. 
Perhaps  Mrs.  Duane  would  remember  that  she 
used  to  know  Mr.  Ainsworth,  and  would  try 
to  recall  her  to  his  memory,  and  her  heart  was 
so  full  just  then  of  all  his  kindness  to  her  when 
she  was  a  lonely  little  girl,  that  she  was  almost 
afraid  the  tears  would  come,  if  Mr.  Frederick 
should  treat  her  as  Margaret  Lancaster 
did,  for  instance;  that  would  be  even  worse 
than  entire  forgetfulness.  She  would  like  to 
wait  and  get  used  to  the  thought  of  his  being  at 
home,  and  train  herself  to  remembering  that, 
of  course,  he  would  have  nothing  to  say  to  her. 
Duty  triumphed;  Mrs.  Duane  ought  to  have 
the  word  that  her  husband  had  sent,  and  have 
it  immediately,  therefore  Mag  pushed  the  door 
wider  open  and  entered. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Mrs.  Duane,  but  may  I 
speak  to  you  a  moment?  "     These  words  were 

347 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

on  her  lips  when  she  heard  Mr.  Ainsworth's 
voice : 

"  Why,  can  it  be  possible  that  this  is — it  cer- 
tainly is— our  little  Mag!  The  eyes  are  the 
same,  but  for  the  rest — .  Are  you  sure  that 
you  are  little  Mag  Jessup,  the  child  of  one 
book? — no,  two, — bless  me!  I  believe  there 
were  three."  The  same  genial  voice,  and  he 
was  actually  holding  out  his  hand — both  hands 
— for  her  greeting !  Mag,  blushing  and  aston- 
ished, and  wondering  between  times  if  he  knew 
that  his  cousin,  Margaret  Lancaster,  did  not 
approve  of  her  being  treated  as  an  equal,  and 
very  glad,  gave  him  her  hand,  and  assured  him, 
with  a  laugh  full  of  childish  gleefulness,  that 
she  was  the  same  little  Mag. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it !  "  he  said,  "  you  are  won- 
derfully changed.  You  remember,  Mrs.  Duane, 
that  I  told  you  there  were  possibilities  ?  Have 
a  seat  and  tell  me  all  about  it — school  life,  and 
home  life,  and  the  history  of  England,  and  all 
the  rest" 

How  kind  he  was!  and  how  wise  and  how 

348 


"THAT  LITTLE  MAG  JESSUP" 

patient  with  her  ignorance,  and  how  inter- 
ested in  everything  that  had  to  do  with  her 
studies ! 

Mrs.  Duane,  having  received  her  husband's 
message,  and  rinding  herself  obliged  to  go  out 
at  once  to  carry  out  his  directions,  invited  Mr. 
Ainsworth  to  stay  to  dinner,  and  directed  Mag 
to  entertain  him  until  her  return.  The  hour 
that  followed  was  one  that  Mag  will  always 
remember.  It  set  her  right  about  several  mat- 
ters concerning  which  she  had  been  in  danger 
of  drawing  wrong  conclusions.  Mr.  Frederick 
Ainsworth's  estimate  of  worth  was  evidently 
not  like  his  cousin's.  And  he  was  young  and 
rich,  and  had  seen  more  of  the  world  than  had 
Margaret  Lancaster.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duane  and 
their  relatives  were  not  then  different  from  all 
the  rest  of  the  world,  as  she  was  begining  to 
think ;  here  was  another,  from  entirely  another 
family  who  was  "  different "  also ;  perhaps 
there  were  more.  She  would  think  better  of 
the  world  than  she  had  been  doing ;  it  was  evi- 
dently larger  than  she  had  supposed. 

349 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

Mr.  Frederick,  meantime,  who  meant  to  be 
a  lawyer,  and  who  studied  human  nature 
wherever  he  had  a  chance,  questioned  and 
cross-questioned,  and  learned  more  about 
Mag's  school  life  than  she  had  any  idea  she  was 
telling;  knew  more  about  it  in  an  hour's  time 
than  the  Duanes  imagined,  and  made  his  plans 
accordingly. 

"  You  don't  know  my  mother,  do  you  ?  " 
This  remark  he  made  to  Mag  just  as  they  were 
leaving  the  dining-room.  Mag  had  served  him 
carefully  at  the  table  like  the  deft-handed  little 
table-waiter  that  she  had  become,  and  had  been 
entirely  silent  of  course,  save  when  spoken  to. 
Mr.  Frederick  had  respected  the  proprieties  of 
the  table  and  said  not  a  word  to  her  until  dinner 
was  over. 

"  She  is  acquainted  with  you,"  he  continued ; 
"  at  least  she  has  heard  about  the  history  of 
England  and  the  '  Little  Pillows,'  and  wants 
to  make  the  acquaintance  of  their  owner.  I 
promised  to  bring  you  to  see  her  as  soon  as 
possible.  Could  you  go  to-morrow  afternoon, 

350 


"THAT  LITTLE  MAG  JESSUP" 

do  you  think?  I  might  call  at  the  school  for 
you  if  you  could." 

"  Oh  no,  thank  you,"  said  Mag  quickly,  "  I 
should  not  have  time  to-morrow.  Friday  is  a 
very  busy  day." 

But  Mrs.  Duane  interposed,  smiling,  "  You 
mean  your  home  duties,  Mag?  Then  I  think 
we  can  arrange  it ;  in  fact  I  have  already  prom- 
ised Mr.  Ainsworth  to  do  so." 

So  Mag  in  great  wonderment  and  certainly 
no  small  delight  over  this  unexpected  glimpse 
of  the  beautiful  world,  went  away  with  a  look 
in  her  eyes  that  paid  Mrs.  Duane  for  whatever 
sacrifice  she  had  made.  In  the  parlor  they 
talked  about  her  a  little. 

"  Her  eyes  are  as  expressive  as  ever,"  said 
Mr.  Frederick.  "  Do  you  know,  Mrs.  Duane, 
that  you  have  a  remarkable  little  table 
waitress?  I  have  been  examining  her  in  Eng- 
lish history,  and  I  assure  you  her  knowledge  of 
it  would  put  some  of  our  college  men  quite  to 
the  blush." 

"  She  is  an  apt  pupil,"  said  Mr.  Duane.    "  I 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

have  been  astonished  to  see  how  wonderfully 
well  she  grasps  historic  situations;  makes  a 
sort  of  picture  of  them  in  her  mind,  and  studies 
it  until  it  becomes  hers." 

"  She  acts  it  all  out,"  said  Mrs.  Duane. 
"  Don't  you  remember,  Frederick,  how  she 
used  to  entertain  herself  up  in  that  dreary  attic 
room  at  Mrs.  Perkins's  ?  I  think  she  continues 
much  the  same  habit,  and  it  accounts  for  the 
extreme  clearness  of  her  knowledge.  Oh,  we 
consider  her  a  remarkable  girl,  and  we  are  do- 
ing our  best  not  to  spoil  her.  See  that  you  are 
as  prudent.  " 

"  I  don't  intend  to  spoil  her,"  laughed  Mr. 
Frederick,  "  but  I  know  two  or  three  of  her 
schoolmates  who  need  to  be  taught  a  certain 
lesson,  and  I  am  going  to  take  that  part  of  their 
education  in  hand ;  that  is  why  I  want  to  meet 
little  Mag  at  the  school  instead  of  calling  here 
for  her." 

Mrs.  Duane  interested  herself  in  Mag's  next 
day's  toilet,  with  the  result  that  she  appeared  in 

352 


"THAT  LITTLE  MAG  JESSUP" 

school  with  what  she  was  in  the  habit  of  calling 
her  "  Sunday  dress." 

"  How  fine  we  are ! "  murmured  Margaret 
Lancaster,  with  a  toss  of  her  head  toward 
Mag;  "  I  wonder  what  is  going  to  happen  to 
us  to-day ! " 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  Mag  was  not  at  all 
"  fine  "  in  the  sense  that  Margaret  Lancaster 
meant;  Mrs.  Duane's  taste  was  good,  and  she 
could  be  trusted  not  to  overdress  a  young  girl 
for  any  occasion. 

It  was  the  hour  for  history  that  Mr.  Fred- 
erick chose  for  his  call. 

"  Miss  Lancaster,"  the  teacher  had  just  said, 
when  a  side  door  opened  and  Mrs.  Garland 
entered  with  her  guest.  Margaret,  surprised 
and  a  bit  fluttered  by  the  unexpected  appear- 
ance of  her  cousin,  was  at  a  disadvantage,  and 
did  not  recite  nearly  so  well  as  usual.  Mag 
gave  her  a  surprised  and  pitiful  glance  as  she 
made  a  serious  mistake  in  names  and  dates, 
and  the  next  moment  heard  her  own  name 

353 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

called.  The  lesson  was  one  that  had  interested 
her  even  more  than  usual,  and  that  morning,  in 
reply  to  a  question  of  hers,  Mr.  Duane  had 
given  her  such  a  description  of  the  situation 
that  she  had  told  him  gleefully  it  was  "  almost 
like  being  there;"  so  she  was  not  only  ready, 
but  glad,  to  recite. 

"  She  is  an  unusual  girl  in  many  respects," 
Mrs.  Garland  said  to  her  guest,  as  he  com- 
mented on  the  recitation. 

"  I  do  not  know  when  I  have  had  a  pupil 
who  has  interested  me  so  deeply.  Perhaps  I 
notice  her  more  because  she  is  an  orphan  and 
quite  alone  in  the  world.  But  she  has  fallen 
among  rare  people.  Do  you  know  the  Duanes, 
Mr.  Ainsworth  ?  " 

They  gathered  about  him  for  the  "  five-min- 
utes' recess  "  that  followed  the  history  hour, 
those  favored  ones  who  could  claim  intimacy 
with  Margaret  Lancaster,  and  she  was  gracious 
and  introduced  her  handsome  cousin,  explain- 
ing to  him,  between  times,  the  mischief  he  had 
wrought. 

354 


"THAT  LITTLE  MAG  JESSUP" 

"  You  were  horrid  not  to  tell  me  you  were 
coming;  it  was  all  your  fault  that  I  made  such 
dreadful  blunders  in  class ;  I  never  recite  in  that 
fashion,  do  I  girls  ?  But  I  was  so  astonished  at 
seeing  you  walk  in  that  I  couldn't  gather  my 
wits.  Are  you  going  to  stay  for  our  Shakes- 
peare class?  Oh,  do !  We  have  great  fun  then." 

"  Not  to-day,"  said  Mr.  Frederick ;  "  I  came 
by  appointment.  I  have  a  young  friend  here 
who  is  engaged  to  dine  with  my  mother  this 
evening,  and  she  was  to  be  ready  for  me  after 
history.  What  has  become  of  her,  I  wonder? 
I  saw  and  heard  her  in  the  class." 

"  Who  on  earth  could  it  be  ?  "  This  question 
was  in  the  eyes  of  every  astonished  girl  of  the 
group.  In  their  opinion,  every  girl  in  that 
school  who  could  have  the  slightest  hope  of 
dining  with  Mrs.  Ainsworth  was  already  one 
of  the  group  about  him.  His  cousin  Margaret 
was  as  astonished  as  the  rest,  and  opened  her 
mouth  to  question,  when  the  young  man 
stopped  it  by  saying :  "  Oh,  here  she  is !  Are 
you  ready,  Mag?  If  we  make  haste,  we  shall 

355 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

be  in  time  for  a  fair  view  of  that  picture  I 
tried  to  describe  to  you." 

And  those  girls  stood  in  dumb  amazement 
and  watched  the  elegant  Mr.  Ains worth  walk 
away  with  "  that  little  Mag  Jessup ! "  she 
laughing  as  gleefully,  in  response  to  something 
he  said,  as  though  he  were  a  schoolmate  of 
hers. 

"Well!" 

"  What  do  you  make  of  that?  " 

"  I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing  in  my  life ! " 

These  were  some  of  the  ejaculations  that 
could  have  been  heard  as  soon  as  the  dumbness 
gave  place  to  speech. 


356 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

"  EXCELLENT  " 

THE  midyear  examinations  of  Mrs. 
Garland's  school  were  drawing  near. 
Almost  a  year,  now,  since  Mag 
Jessup  had  entered  the  school  as  a  pupil. 
In  that  time  she  had  proved  to  schoolmates, 
as  well  as  teachers,  the  position  she  meant 
to  hold.  Nobody  thought  of  her  as  other 
than  an  excellent  scholar.  She  was  still 
behind  some  of  her  age  in  certain  studies, 
but  was  always  so  thoroughly  well  prepared, 
and  so  sure  of  all  ground  that  she  had  been 
over  that  she  was  steadily  "  catching  up,"  even 
in  these ;  and  in  history  and  composition  it  was 
generally  conceded  that  she  and  Margaret 
Lancaster  were  by  far  the  best  scholars  in  the 
school.  As  to  which  of  the  two  was  ahead, 
opinions  differed.  Margaret  Lancaster  had  her 
friends  who  stoutly  argued  that  of  course  she 

357 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

was  a  better  scholar  than  "  that  little  Mag 
Jessup !  "  But,  on  the  other  hand,  Mag  had 
many  friends,  some  of  whom  smiled  trium- 
phantly and  said :  "  Wait  until  you  see  which 
wins  the  prize." 

The  prize  which  was  attracting  most  atten- 
tion was  the  one  for  English  history  and  com- 
position combined.  It  was  unlike  any  other 
award  in  Mrs.  Garland's  school.  That  lady  did 
not  as  a  rule  approve  of  prizes,  in  the  strict 
meaning  of  that  word. 

"  Youthful  human  nature  is  too  ugly  to  run 
a  race  in  which  only  one  can  win."  This  was 
her  explanation  to  some  of  her  friends  who 
urged  more  prizes ;  but  there  were  other  friends 
who  said  Mrs.  Garland  was  wise,  and  that  the 
ugliness  of  human  nature  in  this  respect  was 
not  confined  to  young  people. 

But  the  history  prize  had  the  right  of  way. 
It  had  been  an  institution  for  many  years,  be- 
ing first  established  by  Mrs.  Garland's  grand- 
father, who  was  a  student  of  history.  He  had 
arranged  that  every  year  there  should  be  a 

358 


"EXCELLENT" 

trial  of  skill  in  the  history  class;  every  pupil 
who  chose  to  compete  for  the  prize  being  re- 
quired to  write  a  paper  of  not  less  than  twenty- 
five  hundred  words  and  not  more  than  five 
thousand,  which  paper  was  to  be  a  sort  of  his- 
toric novel — that  is,  it  was  to  be  written  in  nar- 
rative form,  and  the  characters  were  to  be  ficti- 
tious, but  every  statement  in  it  must  be  true  to 
history,  and  in  keeping  with  the  period  of  time 
which  the  writer  chose  to  represent.  One  week 
before  the  close  of  the  midyear  term  these  pa- 
pers were  to  be  read  before  the  assembled 
school,  and  a  committee  chosen  by  the  faculty 
was  to  select  the  two  that  they  agreed  were  the 
best,  to  be  read  at  the  public  exercises  with 
which  the  midyear  closed,  at  which  time  a  com- 
mittee of  award,  originally  chosen  by  the  giver 
of  the  prize,  and  self-perpetuating,  one  drop- 
ping out  and  a  new  one  being  added  each  year, 
was  to  determine  which  young  lady  should  re- 
ceive the  prize,  and  to  award  the  same.  The 
prize  itself  was  valuable,  and  was  hedged  about 
by  useful  regulations.  It  was  $50  in  gold,  all 

359 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

to  be  spent  for  books,  and  only  $5  worth  to  be 
bought  at  a  time,  with  three  months  to  inter- 
vene between  each  purchase.  Evidently  the  old 
grandfather  had  had  to  do  with  young  people 
who  wasted  much  money  in  the  hasty  and  care- 
less buying  of  books.  Margaret  Lancaster 
sneered  at  the  prize  and  its  regulations. 

"  I  don't  care  a  straw  for  his  old  fifty  dol- 
lars !  "  she  said  loftily.  "  Of  course  I  can  buy 
as  many  books  as  I  want,  without  his  money; 
and  I  don't  have  to  wait  any  three  months  to 
get  them,  either.  He  was  an  absurd  old  man 
who  must  have  had  idiots  to  deal  with;  but 
what  I  am  after  is  the  honor.  I  can  win  the 
prize  easily  enough;  mamma  says  expressing 
myself  on  paper  is  my  forte." 

This,  she  said  in  the  early  days  of  the  year, 
before  Mag  Jessup  had  been  recognized  as  such 
a  formidable  rival.  After  a  time  she  began  to 
look  glum  when  Mag  recited,  and  to  be  in  ill 
humor  for  several  hours  after  Mag's  history 
paper  had  been  returned  to  her  with  the  pecu- 
liar mark  on  it  made  by  Mrs.  Garland's  blue 

360 


"EXCELLENT" 

pencil,  and  which  every  girl  in  the  school  knew 
meant  "  Excellent."  Twice  the  mark  on  Mar- 
garet's paper  meant  only  "  Very  good,"  and 
Mag's  was  "  Excellent ! "  To  a  girl  of  Mar- 
garet Lancaster's  disposition  this  was  food  for 
many  hours  of  glumness.  Before  the  former 
year  had  closed  Margaret  had  resolved  to  go 
on  with  her  studies  in  history  during  the  sum- 
mer, and  to  practice  writing  a  paper  each  week, 
and  to  get  her  cousin  Fred  to  help  her.  Then 
they  would  see  in  the  fall  if  that  little  servant 
girl  would  be  her  equal !  But,  alas !  for  resolu- 
tions. Mrs.  Lancaster  went  with  a  number  of 
retired  naval  officers  and  their  families  to  the 
mountains  for  the  summer,  and  life  was  very 
gay,  and  Frederick  Ainsworth  was  not  there. 
For  the  first  few  weeks  Margaret  struggled 
bravely  with  her  resolve  to  study  an  hour  each 
day,  but  as  the  days  grew  fuller  of  delightful 
engagements  for  mountain  climbing  and  choice 
boating  parties  she  gradually  gave  up  any  at- 
tempt at  work,  assuring  herself  that  "  anybody 
would  be  too  stupid  to  live  who  would  try  to 

361 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

study  in  the  summer.  It  wasn't  likely  that  Mag 
Jessup  would  have  time  to  look  into  a  book; 
she  was  probably  shelling  peas  and  picking 
over  strawberries  somewhere." 

But  in  this  last  idea  she  was  mistaken.  The 
truth  was  that  Mag  Jessup  had  more  leisure 
than  she  had  ever  enjoyed  in  her  life  before. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duane  went  away  by  themselves 
to  quiet  places  where  Mrs.  Duane  could  sketch 
and  Mr.  Duane  could  write  on  the  historic  work 
he  was  preparing,  and  Mag  went  with  them. 
Beyond  the  looking  after  their  rooms  and  do- 
ing the  mending  and  repairing  necessary  after 
the  clothes  returned  from  the  laundry,  she  had 
almost  no  duties,  and  was  at  liberty  to  sit  out 
in  the  woods  or  under  the  trees  in  the  arbor  all 
day  long,  if  she  choose,  book  in  hand,  so  that  she 
was  near  to  be  summoned  for  an  errand,  on 
occasion,  it  seemed  to  be  all  that  Mrs.  Duane 
required.  Not  that  any  of  them  chose  to  sit  at 
work  all  day.  They  took  long  walks  into  the 
wild  and  fascinating  country,  and  did  more 

362 


"EXCELLENT" 

mountain  climbing  of  a  rugged  sort  than  Mar- 
garet Lancaster  thought  of.  But  on  most  such 
excursions  it  seemed  to  be  the  wish  of  both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Duane  to  have  little  Mag  with  them. 
On  these  and  other  occasions  they  talked  with 
her  about  the  books  she  was  studying  in  a  way 
to  increase  her  knowledge  of,  and  interest  in 
them.  The  result  of  it  all  was  that  Mag  re- 
turned to  school  in  the  fall  much  more  vigorous 
in  body  and  brain  than  she  had  been  before,  and 
showing  very  promptly  in  her  recitations  what 
the  summer  had  done  for  her.  Very  early  in 
the  fall  Margaret  Lancaster  gloomily  recog- 
nized her  as  a  formidable  rival  in  history. 

She  was  also  a  rival  in  other  ways.  It  would 
be  difficult  to  explain,  on  paper,  Margaret's 
annoyance  when  she  found  that  her  cousin 
Frederick  not  only  remembered  Mag  as  the 
little  girl  at  Mrs.  Perkins's  boarding-house, 
but  continued  to  have  a  lively  interest  in  her, 
and  lavished  his  kindnesses  upon  her  almost  as 
freely  as  he  did  upon  his  cousin. 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

She  never  ventured  to  refer  to  this  but  once. 
This  was  on  a  certain  day  when  she  was  feel- 
ing particularly  cross  at  Mag  because  she  had 
so  manifestly  excelled  her  in  class.  Her  cousin 
Frederick  had  promised  to  take  her  for  a  sleigh 
ride  in  the  park  that  afternoon,  and  he  ap- 
peared at  the  door  promptly  at  four  o'clock, 
with  a  beaming  face  and  a — 

"  Hurry  up,  Margaret ;  I  have  little  Mag  out 
there  holding  the  ponies,  and  they  feel  more 
lively  than  she  enjoys,  I  am  afraid." 

Then  did  Margaret's  face  settle  into  a  frown. 

"  What  in  the  world  is  she  doing  out  there? 
John  will  come  and  hold  your  horses  if  you 
want  them  held.  She  hasn't  turned  hostler,  has 
she,  with  all  the  rest?  " 

"  What  are  you  talking  about  ?  "  asked  Fred- 
erick, affecting  not  to  understand.  "  Mag  is 
going  with  us,  of  course;  and,  being  a  plucky 
little  woman,  she  has  undertaken  to  look  after 
the  ponies  while  I  wait  for  you.  Be  as  quick 
as  you  can,  Margaret,  please." 

But  Margaret  was  still  on  the  lounge  where 

364 


"EXCELLENT' 

she  had  flung  herself  at  the  first  mention  of 
Mag  Jessup's  name. 

"  You  need  not  wait  for  me,  Frederick  Ains- 
worth ;  if  you  think  I  keep  company  with  serv- 
ants and  creatures  of  that  sort,  you  are  mis- 
taken. When  I  go  to  the  park,  or  anywhere 
else,  in  company  with  Mag  Jessup,  I  shall  be  a 
good  deal  older  than  I  am  now." 

"  Oh,  come,  Margie,"  said  Frederick,  in 
perfect  good  humor,  "  don't  be  a  dunce.  Mag 
Jessup  is  your  classmate,  and  the  best  scholar 
in  the  school,  if  some  of  the  leading  teachers 
are  to  be  credited.  One  of  these  days  it  will  be 
an  honor  to  have  known  her  as  a  school  girl, 
and  to  have  taken  rides  with  her  to  the  park. 
Hurry  up.  we  shall  not  have  time  for  a  spin 
around  the  park  drive  before  father  wants  the 
horses,  if  you  don't  hasten." 

"  When  you  take  that  girl  back  to  her  din- 
ing-room and  table  waiting,  where  she  belongs, 
or  drop  her  in  the  river  if  you  prefer,  I  will  be 
ready  to  go  with  you,  and  not  before." 

Margaret's  eyes  were  flashing,  and  all  her 

365 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

common  sense  was  evidently  gone.  Her 
cousin's  reference  to  Mag's  scholarship  had 
been  too  much  for  her. 

"  Honestly  ?  "  asked  Frederick,  looking  at 
her  curiously,  "  Don't  you  mean  to  go,  Margie  ? 
It  is  a  splendid  afternoon  for  driving,  and  the 
sleighing  is  prime.  If  you  really  mean  it,  I 
won't  waste  any  more  time ;  but  I  confess  I  did 
not  think  you  were  such  a  simpleton.  Excuse 
the  plain  word,  but,  honestly,  Margie,  such 
absurd  airs  on  your  part  call  for  plain  lan- 
guage. Why,  the  Duanes,  who  have  money 
enough  to  buy  us  all  out,  if  money  is  a  pass  to 
society,  and  whose  position  in  the  world  can 
not  be  questioned,  couldn't  be  kinder  to  Mag 
if  she  were  their  own  sister.  Why  shouldn't 
you  give  up  that  childish  spite  you  used  to  have 
against  her,  and  treat  her  as  she  deserves  ?  She 
is  a  good  girl  and  a  smart  one,  and  everybody 
knows  it." 

If  it  had  not  been  for  the  history  class,  I 
think  Margaret  would  have  yielded,  but  Fred- 
erick, in  his  ignorance,  would  put  forward 

366 


"EXCELLENT' 

Mag's  claim  to  scholarship;  and  the  poor  girl 
could  not  bear  it. 

"  Go  away ! "  she  said,  with  an  angry  wave 
of  her  hand  in  dismissal,  "  I  don't  want  to  see 
or  hear  any  more  of  either  of  you." 

"  All  right,"  said  Frederick,  promptly,  and 
he  closed  the  door  and  went  away  whistling 
"  Away  Down  South  in  Dixie." 

Margaret  raised  herself  sufficiently  to  see  the 
ponies  spring  away  with  her  cousin  and  "  that 
hateful  Mag  Jessup,"  as  she  had  begun  to  call 
her;  then  she  buried  her  head  in  the  lounge 
pillow  and  cried. 

These  and  several  like  experiences  served  to 
increase  the  poor  girl's  silly  prejudices,  until  by 
the  midyear  she  was  ready  to  own  to  herself 
that  she  all  but  hated  Mag  Jessup. 

Mag,  on  her  part,  had  as  little  to  do  with  this 
particular  schoolmate  as  possible,  and,  as  far 
as  she  could,  forgot  her  existence.  She  was 
very  busy  and  very  happy ;  most  of  the  girls  in 
school  had  decided  to  treat  her  kindly;  many 
of  them  were  quite  friendly,  and  others  simply 

367 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

let  her  pleasantly  alone.  The  Duane  girls  were 
not  there  that  winter,  and  Mag  missed  them, 
but,  as  has  been  said,  she  was  really  too  busy  to 
think  much  about  companionship.  I  don't 
think  it  even  occurred  to  her  to  notice  that  she 
was  not  invited  out  to  any  of  the  gatherings 
of  the  young  people.  When  one  day  she  act- 
ually received  an  invitation  to  an  evening  gath- 
ering at  Mary  Condit's  home,  she  opened  her 
eyes  wide  with  astonishment,  and  felt  half 
afraid,  and  was  sorry  that  the  invitation  had 
come.  The  Condits  were  old  acquaintances  of 
Mrs.  Duane,  and  Mary  was  one  of  the  older 
girls  in  Mrs.  Garland's  school,  and  one  who 
had  been  kind  to  Mag  from  the  first. 

Mag  went  to  the  party  because  Mrs.  Duane 
advised  it.  She  was  frightened  at  the  thought, 
and  felt  sure  she  would  rejoice  when  the  eve- 
ning was  over;  but  to  her  surprise  she  enjoyed 
it.  Kate  Perkins  was  there,  and  renewed  her 
acquaintance  with  Mag  in  a  very  friendly  man- 
ner, and  most  of  the  girls  were  cordial  to  her. 
Moreover,  Frederick  Ainsworth  was  present, 

368 


"EXCELLENT" 

and  saw  to  it  that  Mag  had  not  a  moment  in 
which  to  feel  left  out  and  deserted.  In  thinking 
of  it  all,  afterwards,  Mag  said,  as  she  had  said 
a  hundred  times  before.  "  How  good  and  kind 
he  is!  not  a  bit  like  anybody  else."  Though 
what  she  meant  by  that  last  it  might  have  been 
hard  for  her  to  have  explained,  as  there  were 
certainly  several  people  who  were  uniformly 
good  and  kind  to  her. 

One  little  experience  connected  with  the 
party  had  its  pleasant  and  unpleasant  side. 
They  were  studying,  a  group  of  them,  a  very 
old  engraving  on  the  library  wall,  and  a  discus- 
sion arose  as  to  what  period  it  represented. 
Several  different  views  were  brought  forth  and 
argued,  until  at  length  one  of  the  school  girls 
said  :  "  Ask  Mag  Jessup ;  she  is  sure  to  know." 
Whereupon  Mag  offered  a  suggestion  unlike 
any  of  the  others,  and  sustained  her  views 
against  earnest  opposition,  until  at  last  the 
owner  of  the  picture  was  appealed  to,  and  pro- 
nounced her  right. 

"  I  told  you  she  would  know !  "  said  the  little 

369 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

girl,  triumphantly,  who  had  first  called  upon 
her.  Then  Margaret  Lancaster,  quite  loud 
enough  for  Mag  to  overhear,  said :  "  Of 
course  she  would  know ;  she  sits  up  nights  and 
snatches  all  spare  minutes  between  table-wait- 
ing and  errand-running  to  cram  dates  into  her 
brain,  and  is  as  proud  of  it  as  ever  a  peacock 
was  of  his  tail.  If  I  had  my  living  to  earn  I 
would  try  to  give  myself  more  useful  study 
than  the  piling  up  of  a  lot  of  dates  that  nobody 
cares  for." 

Mag  tossed  about  on  her  bed  that  night,  un- 
able to  sleep  for  thinking  of  this  speech.  Was 
it  true  that  she  was  proud  of  her  knowledge  of 
history?  Did  she  appear  like  a  "peacock"  to 
others  as  well  as  to  Margaret  Lancaster?  It 
made  her  cheeks  burn  to  think  of  it.  Under- 
neath was  another  thought.  Was  she  learning 
to  like  Margaret  less  and  less  ?  How  could  she 
help  it  when  the  girl  was  steadily  and  increas- 
ingly disagreeable  to  her?  But  she  must  help 
it.  If  Margaret  were  determined  to  be  her  en- 
emy, then  her  duty  was  plain,  and  had  been  set- 

37° 


"EXCELLENT' 

tied  long  ago.  What  was  there  she  could  do 
to  make  herself  really  love  that  girl?  If  there 
was  only  something  that  she  could  do  to  help 
her !  But  all  such  opportunities  were  past,  and 
would  not  be  likely  to  come  to  her  again.  Are 
these  unusual  thoughts  for  a  young  girl  to 
bring  home  from  a  party?  Does  not  that  de- 
pend upon  what  the  young  girl's  life  is  ?  Sup- 
pose she  belongs  to  those  who  are  steadily  try- 
ing to  obey  the  direction,  "  Whether  ye  eat  or 
drink,  or  whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory 
of  God?" 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

"  THE   EXACT   TRUTH  " 

AT  last  arrived  the  eventful  day  in  which 
nine  young  ladies,  contestants  for  the 
fifty-dollar  gold  prize,  were  to  read 
their  respective  papers  before  the  assembled 
teachers  and  pupils  of  Mrs.  Garland's  school. 
The  day  was  given  up  to  it,  and  although 
no  visitors  were  admitted,  the  rooms  and 
the  girls  themselves  were  in  festive  dress, 
and  as  much  honor  was  bestowed  upon  the 
readers  as  possible.  In  truth,  some  of  the 
scholars  made  so  much  of  the  matter  of  toilet 
that  more  than  once  Mrs.  Garland  had  been 
known  to  say,  with  a  significant  smile,  words 
something  like  these :  "  My  dear,  I  am  trying 
to  think  what  you  will  wear  to  honor  your 
graduation  day ! " 

Margaret  Lancaster,  especially,  was  splendid 
in  ribbons  and  flowers.     Mag  Jessup,  whose 

372 


«  THE  EXACT  TRUTH  " 

name  was  called  next  to  hers,  looked  like  a 
small  brown  robin  beside  her.  Mag's  neat 
brown  dress,  a  trifle  finer  than  she  wore  for 
every  day,  and  brightened  by  a  few  scarlet  rib- 
bons, received  an  approving  smile  from  Mrs. 
Garland.  Just  as  the  exercises  were  about  to 
commence,  a  messenger  came  with  a  magnifi- 
cent bouquet  of  blush  roses.  There  was  a  gen- 
eral subdued  exclamation  over  their  beauty, 
and  Mrs.  Garland  not  attempting  to  suppress 
it,  smiled  as  she  turned  the  card  and  read  aloud 
the  name. 

"  Margaret  Kane  Jessup,  with  best  wishes 
for  the  day." 

"  Your  friend  has  done  what  he  could  to 
make  you  the  envy  of  us  all,"  she  said  genially 
to  Mag,  who  had  come  forward  to  receive  her 
gift,  her  cheeks  almost  rivaling  the  roses.  She 
did  not  need  to  look  at  the  name  on  the  card 
to  be  sure  that  it  was  Frederick  Ainsworth 
who  had  been  so  kind.  "  How  good  he  was !  " 
Yes,  and  how  naughty,  I  am  afraid.  He 
wanted  Mag  to  have  the  flowers,  and  he  wanted 

373 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

above  all  things  to  further  impress  his  cousin 
Margaret  with  her  "  silliness  "  in  the  stand  she 
had  taken  against  Mag.  That  his  gift  would 
be  sure  to  increase  the  ill  feeling  Margaret  al- 
ready had,  he  did  not  stop  to  consider. 

The  midday  recess  had  come  and  passed,  and 
some  of  the  roses  were  drooping,  and  some  of 
the  scholars  were  yawning  wearily,  before 
either  of  the  Margarets  were  called  upon.  At 
last  a  general  wave  of  renewed  interest  seemed 
to  pass  over  the  room  as  Margaret  Lancaster's 
name  was  heard.  The  sleepy  girls  sat  more 
erect  and  with  brightened  faces ;  Margaret  was 
sure  to  have  something  worth  listening  to. 
Her  story  was  certainly  worthy  of  commenda- 
tion ;  some  of  her  listeners  paid  her  the  compli- 
ment of  forgetting  that  she  was  reading  a  trial 
essay — they  forgot  all  about  her,  indeed,  and 
gave  themselves  up  to  .the  enjoyment  of  her 
story. 

"  Wasn't  that  splendid !  "  murmured  one  or 
two  of  her  admirers,  as  she  took  her  seat. 
"  And  so  beautifully  read ;  she  ought  to  take 

374 


"THE  EXACT  TRUTH" 

the  prize."     "  She  is  the  best  one  yet,  decid- 
edly."    "  Yes,  and  there  are  only  two  more." 

"  Ah,  but  one  of  them  is  Mag  Jessup !  " 

Comments  like  these  surged  through  the 
room  during  the  five  minutes'  respite;  then 
came  Alice  Powell,  whose  paper  was  substan- 
tial and  sensible.  "  And  stupid !  "  added  one 
of  the  younger  girls  in  a  semi-whisper ;  and  the 
secretary  called :  "  Miss  Margaret  Kane  Jes- 
sup." 

When  Mag  had  concluded  her  paper  I  don't 
think  there  was  a  dissenting  opinion  in  the 
room.  Even  Margaret  Lancaster,  had  she 
been  strictly  honest,  would  have  been  com- 
pelled to  admit  that  Mag  had  held  the  interest 
of  her  audience  from  almost  the  first  moment 
of  her  reading,  in  an  unusual  manner.  The 
truth  was  that  Mag  had  been  so  deeply  inter- 
ested in  her  own  plot  as  almost  to  forget  that 
her  effort  had  anything  to  do  with  a  prize ;  and 
she  read  very  much  as  she  would  have  told  a 
story  that  thrilled  her. 

The  committee  of  teachers  retired  to  the 

375 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

library  immediately  after  the  reading-  of  this 
paper,  and  the  buzz  of  undertone  conversation 
filled  the  schoolroom  while  they  waited.  Mag 
sat  apart  and  did  not  attempt  to  talk  with  any 
one;  now  that  the  excitement  of  the  reading 
was  over,  she  felt  tired  and  frightened;  it 
seemed  to  her  that  her  story  was  very  silly,  and 
that  Mrs.  Garland  must  be  ashamed  of  her. 
She  could  even  take  no  pleasure  in  her  roses, 
because  "  Mr.  Frederick  "  had  made  her  prom- 
ise to  read  that  silly  thing  to  him,  and  he  would 
see  how  entirely  unworthy  of  roses  it  was.  She 
stole  a  glance  once  or  twice  at  Margaret  Lan- 
caster, and  wondered  that  she  did  not  ijok 
happier;  she  must  be  almost  certain  of  the 
prize.  Yet  her  face  had  a  look  on  it  that  made 
poor  Mag  shiver;  she  was  talking  hard  and 
fast  with  two  of  the  girls  who  were  especially 
intimate  with  her,  and  much  under  her  control. 
Then  the  committee  returned.  What  a  very 
few  minutes  they  had  been  away!  They  must 
have  known  before  they  went  out  just  what 
they  would  do.  The  room  was  very  still  wait- 

376 


"THE  EXACT  TRUTH" 

ing  for  their  report,  and  certainly  there  was 
much  astonishment  over  it.  Honorable  men- 
tion was  made  of  Miss  Margaret  Lancaster; 
indeed,  the  chairman  admitted  that  there  had 
been  some  discussion  over  her  name,  but  they 
had  finally  agreed  unanimously  to  propose  the 
names  of  Margaret  Kane  Jessup  and  Alice 
Stuart  Powell.  And  Margaret  Lancaster  was 
actually  left  out!  Very  many  were  surprised 
over  this;  the  younger  portion  of  the  school 
had  not  imagined  that  Alice  Powell  had  any 
chance  beside  her.  As  for  little  Mag,  her  head 
seemed  to  be  spinning  about  the  room,  and  for 
a  mbment  she  could  hardly  see;  such  genuine 
surprise  took  possession  of  her.  But  yester- 
day she  had  thought :  "  What  if  I  should  really 
get  the  prize  and  be  able  to  buy  some  books  of 
my  own !  "  But  this  morning  she  had  lost  all 
faith  in  her  story  and  expected  nothing. 

A  very  general,  and,  on  the  whole  hearty 
clapping  of  hands  greeted  the  report,  but  a  few 
of  the  scholars  did  not  join.  At  last  Mrs.  Gar- 
land's voice  was  heard  in  congratulation.  She 

377 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

heartily  approved  of  the  committee's  decision, 
and  she  added  a  few  choice  words  of  com- 
mendation for  Mag's  story,  which  set  the 
young  girl's  heart  to  throbbing  as  even  the  re- 
port had  not  done.  Every  girl  in  school  ap- 
preciated commendation  from  Mrs.  Garland. 
And  then  the  school  was  treated  to  a  sensation 
the  like  of  which  no  scholar  remembered.  It 
was  Margaret  Lancaster's  voice,  distinct  and 
angry,  that  created  an  instant  hush,  while  those 
in  the  back  seats  leaned  forward  to  lose  no 
syllable  of  what  was  being  said: 

"  Mrs.  Garland,  some  of  us  did  not  know 
that  you  allowed  copious  quotations  or  we 
might  have  earned  a  little  glory  also." 

"  Quotations ! "  repeated  Mrs.  Garland,  in 
great  surprise.  "  Unacknowledged  quotations 
do  you  mean,  Miss  Lancaster  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  do." 

"  Then  your  remark  is  not  understood. 
Since  you  have  chosen  to  make  it  before  the 
entire  school,  you  may  explain  your  meaning." 

"  I  mean  that  Mag  Jessup's  story,  of  which 

378 


"  THE  EXACT  TRUTH  " 

you  seem  to  think  so  highly,  is  copied  from  a 
book." 

Utmost  excitement  prevailed  at  once. 

"  What  a  shame !  "  said  one  voice,  distinctly. 

"  I  think  as  much !  "  said  another. 

"  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it ! "  exclaimed  a 
third. 

"  Silence ! "  said  Mrs.  Garland,  in  a  clear, 
cold  voice.  "  Young  ladies,  the  privilege  of 
conversing  together  is  withdrawn.  Miss  More- 
ton  will  be  kind  enough  to  come  to  the  plat- 
form. Miss  Lancaster  and  Miss  Jessup,  I  will 
see  you  at  once  in  my  office." 

Miss  Moreton,  the  mathematical  teacher, 
came  at  once  to  the  chair  and  set  the  school  at 
work;  though  she  could  not  have  expected 
very  clear  replies  to  questions  in  mental  arith- 
metic, with  the  thoughts  of  every  scholar  be- 
hind those  closed  office  doors. 

How  shall  I  try  to  describe  the  feelings  of 
little  Mag  Jessup  as  she  waited  with  tightly 
clasped  hands  that  would  tremble  with  excite- 
ment in  spite  of  her,  while  Mrs.  Garland  ques- 

379 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

tioned  her  accuser.  The  idea  that  she  would 
do  such  a  despicable  thing  as  steal  part  of  her 
story!  She!  who  had  refused  a  suggestion 
that  Mr.  Duane  had  made,  and  several  hints 
that  Mr.  Frederick  had  kindly  given  her,  be- 
cause, although  they  were  splendid,  they  were 
not  her  own  and  she  had  no  right  to  profit  by 
them.  Mr.  Frederick  had  argued  the  point 
with  her;  had  assured  her  that  she  was  over- 
particular, and  that  before  she  began  to  write 
she  was  quite  at  liberty  to  make  use  of  all  such 
general  suggestions;  that  they  had  nothing  to 
do  with  the  actual  work  which  her  paper  was 
expected  to  represent;  but  Mag,  though  dis- 
liking to  appear  ungrateful  and  obstinate,  had 
yet  held  steadily  to  her  determination  to  take 
not  a  hint  of  help  from  anybody — and  this  was 
her  reward ! 

"  Take  that  chair,  Miss  Jessup,"  commanded 
Mrs.  Garland,  not  unkindly,  and  she  pointed 
her  pupil  to  an  easy  chair  near  the  window; 
perhaps  she  saw  that  the  poor  girl  could  hardly 
stand.  Then  she  turned  to  Margaret. 

380 


«  THE  EXACT  TRUTH  " 

"  Now,  Miss  Lancaster,  repeat  and  explain 
your  extraordinary  statement,  which,  what- 
ever you  may  mean  by  it,  would  have 
been  very  much  better  made  to  me  in  pri- 
vate." 

"  I  don't  see  anything  to  explain,"  said  Mar- 
garet, sullenly.  "  I  said  she  stole  her  story, 
that  every  one  is  making  such  a  fuss  about,  and 
so  she  did." 

"  You  know  that  is  not  true ! "  burst  from 
poor  Mag's  white  lips.  She  felt  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  hear  such  words  and  not  say 
so  much.  Then  Mrs.  Garland's  voice : 

"  Hush,  my  dear,  I  am  conducting  this  ex- 
amination. Miss  Lancaster,  what  reason  have 
you  for  thinking  so  ?  " 

"  The  very  best  reasons  in  the  world." 

"  Very  well,  state  them  as  briefly  as  possi- 
ble." 

"  It  is  all  in  an  old  book  of  ours." 

Mag  started  to  her  feet  with  an  exclamation, 
then  at  a  warning  glance  from  Mrs.  Garland, 
sat  down  again  and  clasped  her  hands  so 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

tightly  that  the  print  of  the  nails  showed  for 
several  days. 

"  Be  explicit,  Miss  Lancaster.  Do  I  under- 
stand you  that  a  portion  of  Miss  Jessup's  paper 
you  believe  to  be  like  something  in  a  book  of 
yours  ?  " 

"  All  of  it,"  said  Margaret  firmly,  "  every 
single  word."  And  now  Mag's  face,  that  had 
been  crimson,  began  to  pale;  this  astounding 
statement  all  but  took  her  breath  away.  What 
could  the  girl  mean  ?  Was  it  possible  that  she 
could  have  written  something  much  like  what 
some  one  else  wrote  years  ago?  Did  people 
ever  do  such  things  ?  If  they  did,  and  this  was 
an  instance,  how  could  she  ever  make  Mrs. 
Garland,  or,  for  that  matter,  the  .  Duanes,  or 
Mr.  Frederick  himself  believe  that  she  had 
never  seen  nor  heard  of  the  book,  and  that  she 
had  thought  out  every  word  for  herself? 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Garland !  "  she  burst  forth,  and 
Mrs.  Garland  lifted  her  hand. 

"  My  dear,  I  must  insist  upon  your  allowing 
me  to  manage  this  whole  matter  in  my  own 

382 


"THE  EXACT  TRUTH" 

way.  Miss  Lancaster,  do  you  realize  what  you 
are  saying?  Are  you  prepared  to  stand  by  the 
statement  you  have  made,  that  there  is  a  certain 
old  book  in  your  father's  library  that  contains 
every  word  of  Miss  Jessup's  paper  which  she 
has  read  before  the  school  to-day?  " 

A  look  of  sullen  defiance  overspread  Mar- 
garet's face  as  she  answered  haughtily : 

"  I  am  in  the  habit  of  being  believed,  Mrs. 
Garland ;  that  is  what  I  said." 

"  Very  well,  then  you  are  of  course  ready  to 
prove  it.  I  shall  ask  you  to  take  a  carriage 
from  the  stand  at  the  corner  and  go  at  once  to 
your  home  for  the  book;  returning  here  as 
quickly  as  possible  with  it.  Miss  Jessup  and  I 
will  wait  here  until  you  return." 

For  a  single  instant  Margaret  hesitated  and 
seemed  half  frightened.  Then  she  said  an- 
grily: 

"  I  do  not  see  the  need  for  putting  everybody 
to  so  much  trouble.  I  told  you  I  was  in  the 
habit  of  being  believed ;  what  I  say  I  mean." 

"  Pardon  me,  Miss  Lancaster,  for  reminding 

383 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

you  that  your  opinion  as  to  how  I  shall  manage 
this  matter  has  not  been  asked.  I  must  be  al- 
lowed to  do  as  I  think  best.  It  is  a  very  grave 
charge  indeed,  against  one  of  my  pupils  who  is 
also  in  the  habit  of  being  believed.  The  very 
least  we  can  do,  when  we  make  a  charge  against 
a  person,  is  to  bring  undeniable  proof  that  we 
are  not  mistaken." 

"  Mag  hasn't  denied  it." 

Mrs.  Garland  was  for  a  moment  startled  by 
this  statement.  It  was  undoubtedly  true  that, 
beyond  her  first  excited  exclamation,  Mag  had 
been  quite  silent  concerning  the  charges;  still, 
that  was  probably  because  she  herself  had  di- 
rected her  to  be  silent.  But  Margaret's  words 
reminded  her  that  she  had  not  asked  her 
whether  there  was  any  shadow  of  truth  in  the 
charge  against  her ;  she  had  taken  it  for  granted 
that  there  was  not.  At  this  point  she  looked 
toward  the  small  brown  figure  sunken  in  the 
depths  of  her  easy  chair  and  said : 

"  Miss  Jessup,  I  have  not  formally  asked  you 
if  you  wrote  your  paper  without  assistance  or 

384 


"THE  EXACT  TRUTH" 

quotations.  I  do  it  now  as  a  matter  of  form. 
Is  every  sentence  in  your  paper  your  own  com- 
position ?  " 

"  I — I  thought  so,"  said  poor  Mag,  hesi- 
tating and  blushing  violently.  Certainly  it  was 
the  worst  answer  she  could  have  made.  For 
the  moment  Mrs.  Garland's  perfect  faith  in  her 
was  staggered,  and  Margaret  Lancaster  was 
triumphant. 

"  There !  "  she  said,  "  you  see  that  she  does 
not  deny  it;  she  knows,  of  course,  that  what  I 
am  saying  is  true.  I  suppose  that  at  least  you 
will  take  her  word  and  save  me  from  going 
after  the  old  book  in  our  attic." 

By  this  time  Mag  was  crying  so  violently 
that  she  could  not  speak,  and  Mrs.  Garland, 
looking  at  her  with  a  troubled  expression  such 
as  seldom  appeared  on  her  face,  still  spoke 
coldly  to  her  other  pupil. 

"  Miss  Lancaster,  I  will  try  to  overlook  your 
insolence  to  me,  on  the  ground  that  you  are 
probably  very  much  excited.  You  may  carry 
out  my  directions  at  once,  and  I  will  await  your 

385 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

return.  Or  stay;  perhaps  I  should  not  send  a 
young  lady  alone  in  a  public  carriage.  I  will 
have  you  attended."  Her  hand  was  on  the 
bell  as  she  spoke,  and  in  another  moment  one 
of  the  teachers  had  been  requested  to  call  a  car- 
riage and  accompany  Miss  Lancaster  to  her 
home  on  an  errand  and  return  with  her.  There 
was  nothing  left  for  Margaret  but  obedience. 

Five,  ten,  fifteen  minutes  passed,  during 
which  Mrs.  Garland  left  her  pupil  to  herself, 
then  seeing  she  had  gained  self-control,  she 
asked  a  single  question. 

"  My  dear,  if  you  are  willing,  I  should  like 
to  have  you  tell  me  what  your  singular  reply 
meant  a  few  minutes  ago.  Surely  you  know 
whether  your  work  is  your  own !  " 

She  remembered  long  afterward  the  mourn- 
ful eyes  that  were  turned  toward  her  as  Mag 
said: 

"  How  can  I  know  ?  If  she  has  a  book  that 
has  it  in,  somebody  must  have  written  it  before 
I  did.  Are  not  such  things  possible,  Mrs.  Gar- 

386 


"  THE  EXACT  TRUTH  " 

land?  Of  course,  I  believed  that  I  was  writ- 
ing what  no  one  else  had  ever  written.  I 
thought  every  word  of  it  was  true ;  but  if  it  is 
in  a  book,  how  can  I  help  it?  And  how  can  I 
make  anybody  but  God  believe  that  I  am  honest 
and  true?" 

Mrs.  Garland  arose,  came  over  to  her  pupil, 
and  bending  down,  kissed  her  forehead  lightly 
as  she  said: 

"  I  believe  in  you,  my  dear  girl,  and  I  shall 
continue  to  do  so,  however  suspicious  the  plot 
against  you  may  be.  I  shall  believe  that  what 
you  say  about  it  is  the  exact  truth." 

Little  Mag  has  received  many  precious  kisses 
since  that  hour,  but  perhaps  none  that  stole 
into  her  heart  with  such  healing  balm  as  that. 

Five  minutes  afterward  the  door  opened  and 
Margaret  Lancaster  entered  bearing  in  her 
arms  a  very  large  old  book,  with  one  cover  and 
the  fly  leaves  torn  away. 

"  There !  "  she  said,  flinging  it  down  on  the 
table ;  "  you  will  find  that  I  have  told  the  exact 

387 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

truth;    every  single  word  of  her  wonderful 
story  is  in  that  book." 

She  was  right;   it  was  a  copy  of  Webster's 
Unabridged  Dictionary ! 


388 


CHAPTER  XXV 

"  WHAT  ELSE  COULD  ONE  DO  ?  " 

IT  was  Margaret  Lancaster's  turn  to  cry. 
More  bitter  tears  than  her  old  school- 
mate Mag  Jessup  had  ever  shed  were 
following  each  other  slowly  down  her  cheeks. 
The  first  agony  of  grief  and  surprise  and 
terrible  disappointment  were  past,  and  she 
was  now  too  worn  out  to  do  other  than  cry 
quietly.  The  old  housekeeper  who  had  known 
her  from  childhood,  was  moving  softly  about 
the  room  setting  a  chair  straight  now  and  then, 
or  picking  up  a  mislaid  book;  more  from  the 
habit  of  being  busy  than  because  there  was 
really  anything  to  be  done.  She  looked  piti- 
fully now  and  again  at  the  young  girl  over  on 
the  couch  among  the  cushions,  and  at  last  she 
attempted  awkwardly  a  word  of  comfort. 

"  I  wouldn't  cry  any  more  if  I  were  you, 
Miss  Margie.     It  doesn't  do  any  good;  not 

389 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

after  people  have  shed  as  many  tears  as  you 
have.  You  are  all  tired  out." 

"What  difference  does  that  make?  There 
is  nobody  to  care  any  more  whether  I  am  tired 
or  not" 

This  thought  brought  a  fresh  burst  of  tears  ; 
yet  it  was  so  true  that  the  literal  woman  who 
heard  it  could  only  shake  her  gray  head  and 
murmur  in  half  undertone :  "  Poor  young 
thing!  it  is  hard,  I  am  sure.  Nobody  can 
blame  her  for  going  on  so ;  and  she  expected  it 
all  to  be  so  different !  " 

Perhaps  that  was  one  of  the  bitterest  drops 
in  poor  Margaret's  cup  of  sorrow,  that  it  was 
all  so  utterly  different  from  any  form  of 
trouble  that  she  had  imagined  could  come  to 
her.  She  went  over  it  all  in  memory  for  the 
hundredth  time,  as  she  lay  there  with 
closed  eyes  through  which  the  slow  tears  con- 
stantly forced  themselves.  That  morning, 
only  six  weeks  ago,  when  she  was  going  down 
stairs  dressed  for  a  walk,  dressed  in  the  most 
perfect  of  winter  costumes,  costly  furs,  and 

390 


"WHAT  ELSE  COULD  ONE  DO?" 

handsome  gloves,  and  nodding  plumes,  all  of 
exactly  the  right  shade  and  shape;  looking 
faultlessly  elegant. —  Margaret  Lancaster,  the 
young  lady  who  had  the  year  before  graduated 
with  honor  from  Mrs.  Garland's  school,  had 
learned  better  than  to  overdress  her  handsome 
body,  and  was  a  model  of  propriety  in  all  things 
that  belonged  to  the  fashionable  world.  She 
had  been  unusually  happy  that  morning,  she 
remembered;  first,  because  her  new  suit  fitted 
perfectly,  and  was  unusually  becoming,  and 
secondly,  because  that  very  morning  her 
mother  had  consented  to  go  abroad  again  soon 
after  the  holidays.  As  she  reached  the  lower 
hall,  she  had  just  planned  what  her  traveling 
suit  should  be;  then  the  doorbell  had  rung  and 
she  had  waited  in  the  breakfast  room  to  see 
whether  that  need  interest  her.  She  had  heard 
the  word  "  telegram  "  and  had  rushed  out  to 
see  about  it;  not  frightened,  but  interested.  It 
might  be  about  the  creams  she  had  ordered  for 
the  evening,  or  a  message  from  her  friend  Net- 
tie to  meet  her  down  town  somewhere;  tele- 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

grams  and  telephone  messages  were  common 
enough.  Ah,  but  this  had  been  one  of  those 
terribly  common  ones,  such  as  shoot  over  the 
wires  somewhere  every  minute  of  every  day, 
carrying  with  them  misery  that  lasts. 

"  It's  important,  lady,"  the  messenger  had 
said,  and  something  in  his  tone  had  startled  her 
and  made  her  carry  the  yellow  envelope  to  her 
mother  instead  of  sending  it  by  the  maid.  In 
two  minutes  more  she  knew  that  she  was 
fatherless!  It  was  a  terrible  blow  to  the  girl. 
She  had  loved  her  father,  not  only,  but  had 
been  extravagantly  proud  of  his  position  and 
influence.  Some  of  the'  most  rose-colored 
dreams  of  her  successful  future  had  had  to  do 
with  persons  and  places  that  her  father's  posi- 
tion would  make  possible  for  her  to  see.  In 
all  her  plannings  she  had  not  for  a  moment 
thought  of  the  possibility  of  death.  For  three 
wretched  days  she  gave  way  to  the  violence  of 
utterly  uncontrolled  grief,  sure  that  life  could 
have  no  heavier  blow  for  her.  Then,  one  eve- 
ning, the  family  physician  roused  and  fright- 

392 


"WHAT  ELSE  COULD  ONE  DO?" 

ened  her  by  the  announcement  that  he  was  seri- 
ously anxious  concerning  her  mother,  who  had 
not  rallied  from  the  effects  of  the  nervous 
shock  as  he  had  hoped  she  might,  and  he  con- 
sidered her  situation  critical.  Margaret's  love 
for  her  mother  was  the  most  unselfish  feeling 
that  she  had  cultivated  in  her  selfish  life;  she 
really,  for  a  few  days,  forgot  herself,  and  be- 
came her  mother's  devoted  attendant ;  never  for 
a  moment  allowing  herself  to  think  that  the 
poor,  frail  lady  was  seriously  ill.  She  assured 
all  the  friends  who  hurried  to  offer  sympathy 
and  condolence,  that  "  mamma  was  prostrated 
by  the  shock,  but  was  slowly  gaining."  She  be- 
lieved so,  poor  girl,  deaf  alike  to  the  doctor's 
opinion  and  to  the  mother's  own  belief,  until, 
only  ten  days  from  the  hour  that  the  news  of 
her  father's  death  reached  her,  people  passed 
the  house  with  quiet  step  and  spoke  low  as  they 
said :  "  Poor  Margaret  Lancaster !  father  and 
mother  both  gone  in  so  short  a  time." 

This  last  blow  seemed  for  a  time  almost  to 
stupefy  Margaret.     She  shed  less  violent  tears 

393 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

than  she  had  over  her  father's  death,  but  she 
refused  to  eat,  or  to  take  exercise,  or  even  to 
try  in  a  rational  way  to  sleep;  she  spent  her 
days  and  nights  in  her  mother's  room,  de- 
clined to  see  any  of  her  acquaintances,  and  in 
short  seemed  almost  anxious  to  have  done  with 
this  life  as  soon  as  possible. 

"  She  needs  another  shock  to  arouse  her  to 
action,"  said  the  troubled  physician ;  "  if  some- 
thing does  not  happen  soon  to  change  the  cur- 
rent of  her  thoughts,  she  will  follow  her  father 
and  mother." 

The  "  shock  "  was  nearer  than  any  of  them 
imagined.  One  morning,  Margaret's  aunt, 
Mrs.  Schuyler,  who  had  come  on  at  once  when 
the  telegram  announcing  her  brother-in-law's 
death  was  received,  and  who  had  been  with 
Margaret  during  all  the  trying  weeks  that  fol- 
lowed, was  summoned  to  a  private  conference 
with  Admiral  Lancaster's  confidential  lawyer; 
from  him  she  went  to  see  the  family  physician ; 
she  came  home  late  and  went  directly  to  her 
room,  sending. word  to  Margaret  that  she  was 

394 


"WHAT  ELSE  COULD  ONE  DO?" 

so  utterly  tired  out  that  she  must  excuse  her 
for  the  night.  But  she  did  not  at  once  retire; 
instead,  she  slipped  on  a  warm  wrapper  and  sat 
in  her  easy  chair  before  the  grate  for  hours, 
thinking,  and  occasionally  crying.  She  had  a 
heavy  task  before  her  for  the  next  day,  and 
dreaded  it. 

The  morning  following  this  night  vigil  was 
the  one  in  which  Margaret  lay  among  the  cush- 
ions with  the  housekeeper  for  company.  It  was 
just  as  the  housekeeper  had  tried  in  vain  to 
cheer  her  that  Mrs.  Schuyler  entered  the  room. 

"  How  do  you  feel  this  morning,  my  dear  ?  " 
she  said,  kindly.  "  No  different,  auntie ;  there 
is  nothing  to  make  any  difference  with  me  any 
more,  you  know."  Margaret  had  already 
brushed  away  the  tears,  and  as  she  turned  her 
great  mournful  eyes  with  heavy  black  rings 
under  them  toward  her  aunt,  it  was  plainly  to 
be  seen  that  this  utter  abandonment  to  grief 
was  wearing  heavily  upon  the  young  girl. 
Still,  Mrs.  Schuyler  was  more  than  doubtful  of 
the  physician's  prescription  for  rousing  her. 

395 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  It  will  kill  her !  "  she  said  to  herself,  as  she 
looked  at  the  haggard  face.  "  I  am  just  afraid 
it  will  kill  her !  but  what  can  I  do  ?  I  am  under 
orders ;  and  of  course  she  must  know  the  whole 
now." 

"  My  dear,"  she  said,  hesitatingly,  "  I  hope 
you  did  not  miss  me  too  much  yesterday.  I 
was  obliged  to  be  absent  such  a  long  time.  I 
was  with  Mr.  Sumner,  you  know.  Do  you 
feel  able  to  listen  to  a  little  business  this  morn- 
ing?" 

Margaret  shook  her  head,  "  I  don't  ever 
want  to  hear  anything  about  it,"  she  said.  "  I 
am  like  poor  mamma,  I  neither  understand 
business,  nor  care  anything  for  it;  fix  every- 
thing exactly  as  you  please." 

"  But,  my  dear  Margie,  that  will  not  do ;  you 
will  be  of  age  in  a  few  months,  you  know,  and 
there  are  matters  that  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
for  you  to  think  about.  Mr.  Sumner  thinks 
you  should  be  told  at  once,  and  so,  for  that 
matter,  does  Dr.  Ledwith." 

Margaret's  eyes  seemed  to  open  wider. 

396 


"  WHAT  ELSE  COULD  ONE  DO  ? " 

"  I  do  not  see  why,"  she  said,  wearily. 
"Surely,  it  is  not  Dr.  Ledwith's  business;  so 
long  as  I  swallow  his  tonics  and  nervines  and 
other  stuffs  he  ought  to  be  content;  even  if  I 
do  not  swallow  them,  his  bill  will  be  paid  all 
the  same.  Why  cannot  Mr.  Sumner  manage 
just  as  he  has  always  done,  and  not  torment 
me?  It  is  about  money,  I  suppose;  and  what 
do  I  know  of  money  except  to  have  some  when 
I  want  it?" 

"  My  child,  you  must  remember  that  you  are 
not  a  little  girl  any  more ;  every  woman  has  to 
know  more  or  less  about  business  matters. 
And  there  is  much  more  than  money  involved. 
Oh,  my  poor  dear !  I  don't  know  how  to  tell 
you!  I  wish  they  had  chosen  anybody 
else." 

The  slightest  show  of  curiosity  appeared  in 
Margaret's  eyes — she  drew  herself  partly  up 
from  the  pillows  as  she  said: 

"  What  is  there  to  tell,  auntie  ?  I  can't  think 
of  anything  important  enough  now  to  fuss 
over ;  the  worst  has  happened  to  me,  and  noth- 

397 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

ing  else  matters.  Has  Mr.  Sumner  lost  some 
of  the  money?  " 

"  There  have  been  heavy  losses,  Margie ; 
Mr.  Sumner  has  known  about  them  for  years, 
but  my  poor  brother  hoped  to  recover  some  of 
the  loss;  Mr.  Sumner  says  there  is  no  hope  of 
it.  However,  that  is  not  the  serious  matter, 
dear;  there  is  enough,  much  more  than  I  wish 
there  were,  as  matters  stand.  Margie,  did 
my  sister  ever  hint  to  you  anything  about  the 
time  when  you  were  a  little  bit  of  a  girl  ?  " 

"  We  never  talked  very  much  about  my  early 
childhood.  I  asked  her,  once,  to  show  me 
some  of  the  things  I  wore  when  I  was  a  baby ; 
and  she  said  she  had  none  of  them.  I  remem- 
ber I  scolded  her  a  little  for  not  keeping  them. 
I  told  her  I  thought  mothers  always  kept  the 
clothes  of  their  only  child.  Why  do  you  ask 
me  that?" 

"  Because,  my  dear,  I  have  a  heavy  task  be- 
fore me.  I  hoped  I  could  prepare  you  a  little 
for  it,  but  I  find  I  do  not  know  how.  I  believe 
the  humane  way  will  be  to  tell  you  at  once. 

398 


«  WHAT  ELSE  COULD  ONE  DO  ? " 

Had  you  ever  a  hint  from  any  one  that  you 
were  an  adopted  child?  " 

"  Never !  "  Margaret  sat  erect  now,  and 
her  eyes  began  to  glow ;  "I  never  heard  or 
dreamed  of  such  a  thing;  of  course,  I  am 
Admiral  Lancaster's  daughter.  Auntie,  what 
do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  My  poor  darling !  you  were  just  as  dear  to 
my  sister  and  her  husband  as  though  you  were 
their  very  own;  I  am  sure  of  that;  and  they 
never  meant  you  to  know;  but  now  it  has  be- 
come necessary.  They  took  you  to  their  home 
and  hearts,  Margie,  when  you  were  a  little  bit 
of  a  girl.  I  remember  as  if  it  were  but  yes- 
terday. How  astonished  I  was  when  my  sister 
wrote  me  about  you,  and  what  a  cunning  little 
creature  you  were,  the  first  time  I  saw  you." 

She  talked  on  rapidly,  trying  to  stem  the 
stream  of  questions  she  saw  in  Margaret's  eyes, 
trying  to  cover  her  own  intense  embarrassment 
and  pain  by  dwelling  on  trifling  details.  At 
last  Margaret  interrupted  her  — "  Not  their 
own  child!  then  I  have  had  no  father  and 

399 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

mother  all  these  years!  Everybody  has  de- 
ceived me !  It  cannot  be  possible !  " 

But  Mrs.  Schuyler's  sensitive  nature  was 
struck  by  these  words  and  she  said  what  was 
perhaps  the  best  she  could  say  to  help  the  girl 
to  self-control. 

"  Margaret,  I  know  you  are  suffering,  and 
allowance  must  be  made  for  you ;  but  even  now 
is  '  deceived '  the  word  to  use  toward  people 
who  took  you,  a  homeless,  friendless  little 
child,  and  during  all  these  years  have  lavished 
upon  you  all  the  love  and  care  that  real  parents 
could  give?  It  certainly  does  seem  to  me  that 
even  at  this  time  you  have  many  mercies  to 
remember." 

It  was  hours  later  that  Margaret  asked  the 
question  which  Mrs.  Schuyler  had  been  fear- 
ing. 

"  If  I  am  not  Margaret  Lancaster,  who  am 
I?  What  name  have  I  a  right  to?  " 

"  Margaret,  my  brother-in-law  fully  meant 
to  give  you  a  legal  right  to  his  name;  he 
thought  of  you  always  as  his  daughter.  I 

400 


"WHAT  ELSE  COULD  ONE  DO?" 

never  knew  until  yesterday  that  the  legal  forms 
had  been  neglected." 

"  Then,  I  am  a  beggar !  Well,  what  is  my 
name?  I  insist  upon  knowing  now  all  that 
there  is  to  know." 

"  Margie,  I  never  knew  myself  until  last 
night.  We  often  talked  about  you  in  those 
early  years,  but  it  happened  that  while  I  knew 
all  the  circumstances,  I  did  not  hear  your  name. 
Of  late  years  you  were  so  entirely  her  own  that 
my  sister  never  mentioned  any  of  these  things. 
I  think  she  had  even  forgotten  the  name  her- 
self." 

"  What  is  the  name?  "  The  old  imperious 
tone  that  belonged  naturally  to  the  girl  whom 
Mrs.  Schuyler  had  known  as  Margaret  Lancas- 
ter, was  distinct  enough.  The  question  could 
not  be  parried  longer. 

'  You  are — your  name  was  Jessup,"  she  fal- 
tered, "  Susan  Jessup ;  my  sister  did  not  like  the 
name — Susan,  so  she  changed  it  very  soon  to 
Margaret,  her  mother's  name." 

"  Jessup !  "  repeated  Margaret,  in  a  tone  that 

401 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

Mrs.  Schuyler  could  not  forget.  "  Susan  Jes- 
sup!  and  that  Mag  Jessup  who  has  always 
been — well,  never  mind  what, — is  she  any  con- 
nection of  mine?  " 

"  She  is  your  sister,  my  dear,  and  a  better 
educated  or  finer  looking  sister  one  could  not 
very  well  have.  You  must  not  blame  me,  Mar- 
garet. I  assure  you,  all  this  is  hard  for  me, 
too.  I  never  expected  to  have  to  tell  it.  I 
learned  the  particulars  only  yesterday.  It 
seems  that  my  brother  kept  all  the  papers.  He 
meant  to  use  them,  of  course,  in  having  the 
necessary  legal  papers  made  out,  but  he — well, 
he  neglected  it — that  was  all. 

"  Your  own  mother,  my  dear,  was  a  very 
worthy  woman;  poor,  and  unfortunate,  but  in 
every  way  worthy  of  respect.  There  is  noth- 
ing about  her  memory  to  blush  for. 

"  As  for  money,  let  that  miserable  nephew 
of  my  brother-in-law — who  has  been  mean 
enough  to  hunt  this  all  out,  and  try  to  slip  into 
property  that  was  never  intended  for  him — 

402 


"WHAT  ELSE  COULD  ONE  DO?" 

have  the  money;  with  your  education,  you  can 
be  independent  of  other  people's  money." 

"Other  people's  money!"  Her  own  fa- 
ther's wealth  that  by  and  by,  when  time  had 
softened  her  grief,  Margaret  Lancaster  had 
felt,  despite  the  careless  words  she  had  spoken 
about  it,  would  be  a  pleasant  thing  to  have. 
And  now  she  had  not  a  penny !  and  Mag  Jes- 
sup,  her  rival  not  only  in  the  history  prize,  but 
throughout  her  school  days,  was  her  sister! 
She  could  not  bear  it !  She  would  not ! 

"  Don't ! "  she  said  sharply,  putting  her 
hands  to  her  ears  to  shut  out  Mrs.  Schuyler's 
attempts  at  soothing.  "  Go  away !  I  can  not 
bear  another  word.  Let  me  alone,  don't  let 
any  one  come  near  me.  Not  any  one! "  she 
added,  fiercely,  as  the  remembrance  that  now 
she  had  a  sister  rushed  over  her. 

Mrs.  Schuyler  turned  sadly  away;  she  did 
not  know  what  to  do  with  this  fierce  girl.  She 
had  been  roused,  certainly,  but  it  seemed  more 
than  doubtful  that  she  would  reach  a  sane  and 

403 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

healthful  state  of  mind.  Margaret  Lancaster, 
crushed  and  dependent,  might  be  more  easily 
dealt  with  than  Margaret  Lancaster  roused  to 
fierce  obstinacy. 

On  the  evening  of  that  same  day  two  young 
people  sat  in  the  music-room  of  Mr.  Duane's 
house  and  talked  over  this  stricken  girl's 
strange  history,  and  the  strange  way  in  which 
their  own  lives  had  been  suddenly  linked  with 
her's. 

"  And  to  think  that  all  these  years  she  has 
been  my  sister ! "  Little  Mag  Jessup  had  ut- 
tered an  exclamation  somewhat  like  this  sev- 
eral times  before.  She  could  not  get  away 
from  the  strangeness  of  it.  Mr.  Ainsworth 
smiled  indulgently. 

"  That  feature  of  the  situation  impresses  you 
•most,"  he  said. 

"  Yes ;  how  can  I  help  it  ?  I  have  grown 
up  thinking  that  I  had  no  sister;  though  I  dis- 
tinctly remember  our  little  Susie,  and  the  idea 
carefully  taught  me  that  I  was  always  to  take 
care  of  her." 

404 


"Little  Mag  looked  down  on  the  heavy  gold  loop." 


"WHAT  ELSE  COULD  ONE  DO?" 

"  Then  your  way  is  quite  clear,  I  hope,  if 
she  will  consent  to  it?  " 

Little  Mag  looked  down  at  the  heavy  gold 
loop  she  wore  on  her  third  finger,  and  was  silent 
for  some  seconds. 

"  Are  you  sure  that  you  want  it?  "  she  asked 
at  last. 

"  I  am  sure  that  I  want  whatever  best  pleases 
you ;  and  my  first  interest  in  you  was  strangely 
deepened  by  the  discovery  that  you  accepted, 
without  argument,  any  situation  that  you  be- 
lieved to  be  right." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Mag.  "  What  else  could 
one  do?" 

Over  this  question  Mr.  Frederick  laughed 
softly.  "  I  think  I  know  several  people  who 
have  discovered  a  middle  ground,"  he  said. 

A  week  afterwards  they  sat  together,  the 
two  Margarets,  one  of  them  in  deep  mourning, 
and  with  a  face  out  of  which  all  the  brightness 
had  gone;  yet  it  was  a  quieter  face  than  some 
of  her  friends  had  expected  to  see.  Margaret 
Lancaster  was  learning  self-control  at  last. 

405 


MAG  AND  MARGARET 

"  It  all  seems  so  strange,"  she  said,  mourn- 
fully. "  The  idea  of  you,  Mag  Jessup,  offer- 
ing me  a  home !  Do  you  remember  I  told  you 
once  that  I  presumed  you  would  always  be  a 
servant  ?  "  She  laughed  a  little  bitterly  over 
the  memory. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mag,  softly.  "  And  I  always 
shall  be — a  servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

"  I  haven't  even  a  right  to  my  name !  "  burst 
forth  Margaret  again ;  "  I  can  never  get  ac- 
quainted with  myself  as  Susan  Jessup;  but  I 
have  no  right  to  be  Margaret  Lancaster." 

"  Indeed  you  have !  "  said  Mag,  very  ear- 
nestly. "  Do  not  for  a  moment  believe  other- 
wise; the  mother  who  loved  you  and  cared  for 
you  and  was  everything  to  you  for  so  many 
years  had  a  right  to  name  you,  and  you  were 
and  are  her  daughter  Margaret.  It  is  not  my 
name ;  my  best  and  dearest  friends  know  me  as 
'  Little  Mag.'  I  couldn't  be  called  Margaret ; 
and  you  couldn't  be  called  anything  else.  But, 
Margaret,  I  have  been  motherless  nearly  all  my 
life  and  alone ;  I  am  truly  glad  to  have  found  a 

406 


"WHAT  ELSE  COULD  ONE  DO?" 

sister.  I  shall  love  you  very  much ;  and  I  think 
you  can  love  me  a  little  after  awhile,  when  you 
get  used  to  me." 

Margaret  Lancaster  laughed  outright.  "  I 
remember  that,  too,"  she  said.  "  You  told  me, 
that  summer  when  we  were  in  the  country,  that 
you  loved  me ;  I  didn't  believe  it  then,  but  I  do 
now.  You  were  always  a  good  little  thing;  it 
is  strange  that  I  disliked  you  so  much.  I 
shouldn't  have  done  so  if  you  hadn't  been  a 
better  scholar  in  history  than  I;  that  seemed 
too  absurd!  I  wonder  you  do  not  hate  me, 
and  I  wonder  that  cousin  Fred  doesn't;  I  have 
given  you  both  reason  enough.  He  isn't  my 
cousin  Fred,  is  he?  '  Mr.  Frederick,'  you  used 
to  say,  and  I  laughed  at  you  for  it.  I  couldn't 
call  him  that ;  I  am  glad  I  have  no  need.  My 
respected  brother-in-law  that  is  to  be!  How 
bewildering  it  all  is!  But  you  are  both  good. 
You  have  been  the  only  people  who  had  any 
sense  during  this  awful  time.  I  think  I  shall 
love  you,  Mag  Jessup ;  and  I  like  the  thought  of 
having  Fred  for  a  brother." 

407 


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A  Tale  of  Daring  Deeds  in  the  Second 

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J2mo,  illustrated,  $1.50 
"A  genuine  child  classic." 

Five  Little  Peppers  Midway 

I2mo,  illustrated,  $1.50 

"  Every  page  is  full  of  sunshine."  —  Detroit  Free  Press, 

Five  Little  Peppers  Grown  Up 

J2mo,  fully  illustrated,  cloth,  $1.50 

"The  tale  sparkles  with  life  and  animation.  The  young  people  are 
bright  and  jolly,  and  enjoy  their  lives  as  everybody  ought  to  do."  — 
Woman's  Journal. 

Phronsie  Pepper 

The  Last  of  the  Five  Little  Peppers 

Illustrated  by  Jessie  McDermott.    12mo,  cloth,  $  J.50 

THIS  closing  book  of  the  now  world-famous  series  of  the  "  Five  Little 
Pepper  Books"  has  been  enthusiastically  welcomed  by  all  the  boys 
and  girls  of  America  to  whom  the  Five  Little  Peppers  have  been  dear  ever 
since  they  first  appeared  in  the  "  Little  Brown  House."  This  new  book  is 
the  story  of  Phronsie,  the  youngest  and  dearest  of  all  the  Peppers.  But 
Polly  and  Joel  and  Ben  and  Jasper  and  Mamsie,  too,  are  all  in  the  story. 

The  Stories  Polly  Pepper  Told 

One  volume,  J2mo,   Illustrated  by  Jessie  McDermott 
and  Etheldred  B.  Barry,  $1.50 

A  CHARMING  "  addenda  "  to  the  famous  "  Five  Little  Pepper  Stories." 
It  is  a  unique  plan  of  introducing  old  friends  anew.     Wherever  there 
exists  a  child  or  a  "  grown-up  "  to  whom  the  Pepper  family  has  become 
dear,  there  will  be  a  loving  and  vociferous  welcome  for  these  charming, 
characteristic,  and  delightful  "Stories  Polly  Pepper  Told." 


The  Judges'  Cave 

A  Romance  of  the  New  Haven 

Colony  in  the  days  of  the 

Regicides 

By  MARGARET  SIDNEY,  author  of  "A  Little 
Maid  of  Concord-town,"  "Five  Little  Peppers,"  etc. 
J2mot  cloth,  illustrated,  $1.50 


are  few  more  fascinating  phases  of 
colonial  history  than  that  which  tells  the  wan- 
derings and  adventures  of  the  two  judges  who,  because 
they  sat  in  judgment  over  that  royal  criminal,  Charles 
the  First  of  England,  were  hunted  out  of  England  in- 
to hiding  in  New  England  and  there  remained,  a 
mystery  and  fugitives,  in  their  celebrated  cave  in  New 
Haven  Colony.  Margaret  Sidney  has  made  her  care- 
ful and  exhaustive  research  into  their  story  a  labor  of 
love  and  has,  in  this  book,  woven  about  them  a 
romance  of  rare  power  and  great  beauty.  Marcia, 
the  heroine,  is  a  strong  and  delightful  character,  and 
the  book  will  easily  take  high  rank  among  the  most 
effective  and  absorbing  stories  based  upon  a  dramatic 
phase  of  American  history. 


The  Story  of  the  Nine- 
teenth Century 

By  ELBRIDGE  S.  BROOKS.     J2mo,  cloth,  illus- 
trated, $J.50 

THE  story  of  "  the  wonderful  century"  —  its  prog- 
ress, its  achievements,  its  inventions,  its  develop- 
ment and  its  results  —  is  here  presented  in  a  con- 
nected, simple,  straightforward  narrative,  showing,  as 
its  main  purpose,  the  progress  of  the  people  out  of 
limitation  to  enlightenment,  out  of  serfdom  to  inde- 
pendence, out  of  selfishness  to  nationality,  out  of 
absolutism  to  liberty.  Chapter  by  chapter,  it  is  an 
absorbing  and  often  dramatic  story,  told  by  one  who 
has  made  a  study  of  popularizing  history. 

In  Blue  and  White 

A  Story  &  American  Revolution 

One  volume,  8vo,  illustrated  by  Merrill,  $J.50 

THIS  stirring  story  of  the  Revolution  details  the 
adventures  of  one  of  Washington's  famous  life- 
guards, who  is  a  college  mate  of  Alexander  Hamilton, 
and  a  personal  follower  of  Washington.  It  is  based 
upon  a  notable  and  dangerous  conspiracy  against  the 
life  of  Washington  in  the  early  days  of  the  Revolution, 
and  introduces  such  famous  characters  as  Washington, 
Hamilton,  Greene,  and  Nathan  Hale.  It  is  a  splen- 
did book  for  boys  and  girls. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


